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SWIMMING 

How, When and Where to Swim. 

Its Progress and Place in 
American Sports. 


Diving, Plunging, Floating, Trick Swimming, 
Life Saving—Correct Methods. 


SOME OF AMERICA’S GREAT BATHING 
BEACHES. 


Ancient History of Swimming—Romans as Experts— 
Magnificent Public Baths in Rome in 
Its Early Days—Some Remark¬ 
able Modern Feats. 



By Capt. Tom Riley. 


First Edition. 
New York City, 1903. 






£✓<337 

77 ? 57 


THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 


Two Copies Received 

JUN 18 1903 


ft Copyngnt Entry 

CLASS CL XXc. No 

L o o & 

COPY 8. 


Copyrighted, 1903. 








Blumenberg Press, New York. 



CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER I. 

How to Learn to Swim. 

1— Breast Swimming. 

2— The Leg Movement. 

3— Necessity of'First Learning the Leg 

Movement. 

4— The Arm Movement. 

CHAPTER II. 

Different Strokes. 

1— Side Stroke. 

2— Over-arm or Webb Racing Stroke. 

3— The “Trudgeon” Stroke. 

4— The Master Stroke. 

CHAPTER III. 

Swimming on the Back. 

1— A Delightful Accomplishment. 

2— How to Begin. 

3— The Kick in Back-swimming. 

4— How to Accomplish Speed. 

5— Different Styles of Back-swimming. 

3 





CHAPTER IV. 

Floating. 

1— How to Learn. 

2— Correct Way to Float. 

3— Floating in the Surf. 

4— Easy/Thing for Women to Accom¬ 

plish. 

5— Sculling. 


CHAPTER V. 

Fancy Water Feats. 

1— Trick Swimming. 

2— The Pendulum Trick. 

3— Rolling on the Surface. 

4— Walking on the Water. 

5— -Treading Water and Breast Swim¬ 

ming Tricks. 

6— Smoking, Eating and Drinking Un¬ 

der Water. 

7— Plank or Glide Trick. 

8— Double Somersault. 

9— Porpoise Swimming. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Diving. 

1— Diving as a Fine Art. 

2— Practice Makes Perfect. 

3— Marvelous Diving Performances. 

4— Graceful Diving. 

4 





CHAPTER VII 


'57 


How to Save Drowning Persons. 

1— An Easy Task. 

2— Don’t Seize Struggling Persons. 

3— How to Locate Sunken Bodies. 

4— Proper Way to Get Unconscious 

Victims to Shore. 


CHAPTER VIII. 6o 

How to Restore the Apparently Drowned. 

1— Proper Rules to Follow. 

2— Way to Expel Water from the 

Lungs and Stomach. 

3— Way to Produce Breathing. 

4— Instructions in Extreme Cases. 


CHAPTER IX. 68 

Ancient History of Swimming. 

1— Greeks and Romans Expert Swim¬ 

mers. 

2— Magnificent Baths of the Romans. 

3— Interest in the Art Before the Birth 

of Christ. 

4— The Nile as a Bathing Spot. 

5— —Assyrian Bas-reliefs on Swimming. 

6— Side-stroke May Have Been Used 

by the Romans. 

5 





Continued 


CHAPTER IX 

y —Poems by Pope and Dryden on 
Swimming. 

8— Caesar’s and Cassius’ Swim Across 

the Tiber as Described by Shake¬ 
speare. 

9— Byron’s Hellespont Swim as Told 

in Poetry. 

10— Roman Ladies Made Swimming a 

Study. 

11— Bathing as a Daily Duty of the 

Romans. 

12— Eight Hundred and Fifty Public 

Baths in Rome at the Height of its 
Power. 

13— Famous Roman Baths. 

14— A Thirty-acre Roman Bath. 

15— An Early Writer’s Interesting and 
Amusing Arguments on Swim¬ 
ming. 


CHAPTER X. 

Famous English Channel Swimmers. 

1— Montagu Holbein’s Twenty-two 

Hour Swim. 

2— Made 25,000 Strokes Trying to 

Cross the Channel. 

6 


86 




CHAPTER X 


Continued 


3— A Mile and a Half from Shore 

When Strength Failed. 

4— Swam all Night. 

5— Taken From the Water Uncon¬ 

scious. 

6— Bad Effects of Alcoholic Stimulants. 

7— His Advice Against Tobacco. 

8— Captain Webb, the World’s Greatest 

Swimmer. 

9— Captain Webb’s Successful Swim 

Across the Channel. 

io—Niagara Barrel Exhibitions De¬ 
nounced. 

CHAPTER XI.. 

Where to Swim. 

1— Long Island and New England 

Beaches. 

2— Balmer’s Pavilion, Coney Island. 

3— An Immense Establishment. 

4— Model Bathing Beach. 

5— Pavilion’s Magnificent Appoint¬ 

ments. 

6— How Big Bathing Place Is Con¬ 

ducted. 

7— Precautions Against Accidents. 

8— Life Saving Corps. 

9— Bathing Suits Sterilized Daily. 

7 


93 




CHAPTER XI 


Continued 


10— Steam Rooms, Hot Baths and Cold 

Fresh Water Plunge. 

11— Newport, Atlantic City, Old Or¬ 

chard Beach and Other Resorts. 

12— Aristocracy’s Beach at Ostend, Bel¬ 

gium. 

13— Division of Sexes on Beaches in 

France and England. 

14— England’s Famous Beaches. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Capt. Tom Riley, Veteran Swimmer. 


109 


8 





PREFACE. 


r the preparation of the information contained in 
this book the compiler acknowledges the services 
of Henry T. Jones, a well known newspaper writer of 
New York and Chicago. 

CAPT. TOM RILEY. 

New York, 1903. 


9 






. 

r . 































































INTRODUCTION. 


VERY man, woman and child should know how to 
swim, and the purpose of this book is to stimu¬ 
late interest in that direction. I have taught hundreds 
of persons to swim during my twenty-five years’ ex¬ 
perience as a professional swimmer, instructor and life 
saver at the principal watering places on the New Eng¬ 
land, Atlantic and Long Island coasts. I have taught 
children of five and men of sixty, and as the children 
learn more easily fhan an adult the art of knowing how 
to swim should be acquired as early in life as possible. 

Swimming should be regarded as a necessity. It 
should be part of the public school education, and I 
earnestly advocate that it become part of the public 
instruction of both boys and girls in the primary and 
grammar grades. It is natural for an animal to swim, 
and it is really natural for a human being to swim. 
It has always been a mystery to me why instruction is 
needed in order to be able to swim. But it seems to be 


13 





necessary, and this point I will not discuss. In my 
experience I have found pupils who, when instructed j 
how to swim, could accomplish the task in five min¬ 
utes, while others would require four or five lessons. 

The knowledge of knowing how to swim adds con¬ 
fidence to the person acquiring the accomplishment, for 
we may call it an accomplishment, and confidence is ! 
what we all need. 

In the schools of Great Britain and other countries 
of Europe swimming is a part of the instruction. Pu¬ 
pils are taught to swim, pools being provided at the 
schools. 

i 

In the armies of the majority of the European pow- ] 
ers swimming instruction is a regular part of the sol- i 
diers’ drill. I j 

Swimming has been a recognized sport from the ' 
time of the ancient Romans, and it will be recalled that ! 
Cassius swam across the Tiber with Caesar on his back. 1 
Caesar became exhausted and called upon Cassius to 1 
save him. This feat was accomplished, so history tells ' 
us, to decide a wager. 

Nearly every day the public press records deaths by 
drowning, and in the majority of cases, if the victims 
had known how to swim, they could have saved them¬ 
selves, or kept afloat until help reached them. Last 




summer a party of pleasure seekers in Central Park, 
New York city, upset a rowboat when out on one of the 
park lakes, and three of the four occupants went to the 
bottom before assistance, although prompt, could reach 
them. The sole survivor could swim and he reached 
shore without difficulty. The other three, it was 
learned after the accident, did not know how to swim. 

Another illustration of the advisability of knowing 
how to swim is shown in the following press report: 

“Corry, Pa., November 15, 1902. —Findlay’s Lake, 
a few miles from this city, was again the scene of two 
drownings this afternoon. This makes five lives that 
have been lost here within a year, three ladies who did 
not know how to swim being drowned while in bath¬ 
ing this summer. A party composed of Alton New- 
house, Earl Lusink, Harry Neckers and Geo. Davis 
started hunting in a small boat for ducks. When oppo¬ 
site the famous assembly grounds they put up a flock 
of ducks and two of the men shot at the same time. 
In the excitement the boat was overturned and Neckers 
and Davis, who could swim, were saved, while New- 
house and Lusink, who could not swim, sank. Both 
resided at French Creek.” 

Here is another: 

''Long Branch, N. Y., November 20, 1902.—The 
body of an unknown man washed ashore this after- 
15 




noon. It was discovered in the undertow opposite the 
Atlantic Hotel. The body is believed to be that of J. P. 
Freitag, of Lafayette, N. J., who was drowned a week 
ago by falling from a boat while hunting. He could 
not swim and sank before help reached him.” 

Here is an instance where a swimmer saved a com¬ 
panion who could not swim: 

“Claire Nugent, a pretty schoolgirl, is the heroine of 
Swinefield Bridge, N. J., today for her plucky rescue 
of Charles Tompkins, her schoolmate, from drowning 
in the Passaic River. She is apparently not affected by 
her chilly plunge in the water. 

“While rowing Tompkins dropped his oar and in 
trying to get it again he fell overboard. The youth 
could not swim and cried for help. 

“Miss Nugent ran to the river bank and quickly pre¬ 
pared for the cold plunge. She is an expert swimmer, 
and after a few strokes was at the side of the fast 
weakening boy. She seized him by the collar and 
started for the boat. 

“Twice she was dragged under by the weight of his 
body, but* she clung on with heroic determination until 
she finally reached the boat and raised Tompkins far 
enough to enable him to cling to its side. 

“Then she cried for help and soon attracted the pro- 
16 



prietor of a hotel near by. A boat was sent out and 
they were carried ashore. The plucky girl was weak 
and exhausted from exposure, but after a short time 
she revived and went home, where she attempted to 
make light of her daring when praised by her friends.” 
—Press reports, November 22, 1902. 

The following expression of the necessity of know¬ 
ing how to swim is from the pen of a writer on a New 
York newspaper, who is always ready to advance the 
interest of healthful sports. This advice was printed 
as an editorial last September: 

“Every girl should learn to swim, advises a young 
woman who nearly perished by the upsetting of a boat 
in Central Park’s lake. 

“And so should every boy. Many more boys than 
girls learn, but it is astonishing the number that do 
not. 

“A professional fisherman on the Jersey shore died 
the other day because while bathing he was carried 
beyond his depth. Think of a man making his living 
on the water and not being able to keep afloat in it. 
That is deliberately tempting death, yet this hapless 
fisherman was not much more foolish than plenty of 
others. 

“During the summer just closed there have been 
17 



scores of drownings at the seaside resorts, and it is 
safe to say that all but a very few of the victims lost | 
their lives because they could not swim. 

“It is the duty of parents to have their children, girls 
as well as boys, instructed in swimming if circum¬ 
stances do not favor the picking up of the art. A few 
lessons are sufficient to teach it to anybody of ordi¬ 
nary intelligence and courage.” 

Here is where a recent tragedy shows the necessity 
of knowing how to swim: 

“Lemberg, February n.—A ferryboat, with 120 
peasants on board, sank today while attempting to 
cross the Visloka River. Twenty of the passengers 
swam ashore, fifty are known to have been drowned, 
and the remainder are unaccounted for. If the fifty 
victims had known how to swim they could have been 
saved.” 

The foregoing are only a few of the fatal accidents j 
that are cited to show the advisability of knowing how«1 
to swim. Accidents similar to those quoted are regu- j , 
larly reported, in the daily press, and in tHe summer j 
months reports of drownings are more numerous. 

But it is not alone because of the loss of life that ( 
these pages are printed. Swimming is becoming one 1 
of the leading athletic sports of the world, and by right i 
should gain a place at the very top notch. Swimming 1 
18 



s ; exercises every muscle of the body, makes the limbs 
supple and strengthens the entire physical make-up, 

| and is a boon to the man and woman whose habits are 
Is | sedentary. 

■' The pages of this book will show the so called ac- 
tV | complished swimmer, as well as the novice, how to 
h ; swim. It is one thing to know how to swim and 
another to know how to swim correctly. Very few 
y swimmers acquire the correct stroke, and the so called 
expert, as well as the beginner, will find knowledge in 
o these pages. The author is a professional swimmer, 
o who has devoted the best years of his life to the sport, 
$ and he believes and knows that he has discovered the 
1 ( key to scientific swimming, or, in other words, the 
y right way to swim and the right way to learn how to 
n swim. 

The book, in addition to its advice on how to swim, 
s dive, float, etc., also contains many interesting facts 
regarding the ancient history of swimming. 'The 
- writer devoted much time to research regarding the 
r interest the Greeks, Romans and other nationalities of 
the Old World took in swimming, and a perusal of 
t Chapter IX will convince the reader that modern society 
» has neglected to a great extent one of the most health- 
■ ful and invigorating forms of recreation. It is the 
. writer’s hope that interest in swimming will be revived 

19 



tenfold within the next few years, for if it is it means a 
more magnificent physical manhood in America, and 
womanhood as well—a nation of invincibles. 


1 £fa***~* 


New York, 1903. 


20 





CHAPTER L 


HOW TO LEARN TO SWIM. 

HE first swimming lesson is . really the most im- 



I portant. A beginner should enter the water 
without fear, and go in determined to learn. Water 
which is waist deep is the best for the novice, and the 
muscles should be relaxed before starting out to try 
the first strokes. Don’t set the jaws tight or stiffen 
all the muscles of the body as if going to perform some 
difficult feat. Make the first trial as if you were al¬ 
ready an accomplished swimmer, that is, try in a nat¬ 
ural, easy way. As a general rule all corks, bladders, 
white wings, etc., should be avoided. in learning to 
swim. These appliances should be regarded as dan¬ 
gerous playthings, and the only time they should be 
resorted to is in a heavy sea when an accident occurs. 
Then, of course, it is advisable to strap on a life pre¬ 


server. 


The style of swimming which is generally taught 
first is that of the breast stroke. The body is thrown 
out horizontally on the water, the back being slightly 
hollowed. In the leg movements the feet are drawn 
up toward the body, the toes are then turned outward, 
the legs spread wide apart, and then brought sharply 
together in a straight line with the body, ready for the 
next stroke. It is from the leg stroke that the propel- 


21 


t 




ling power is chiefly obtained, for the arms are, with I 
the experts, used, in addition to pulling, for steering 
and balancing the body in such a position as to make 
use of as much motive power as possible. 

It is always best to learn the leg stroke first, for the 
arm movements, which are less important, can be cul¬ 
tivated quite easily without assistance, whereas the | 
acquirement of a good leg stroke at the outset of a 
man’s swimming career is a matter of great importance. 
Most beginners start out to learn the arm stroke first, 
and imagine that if they can work their arms in the 
water they are accomplishing something. The arm 
stroke is of secondary consideration, as it is the leg 
stroke which mainly helps to keep the pupil’s head 
above water. 

The arms of the swimmer who gets beyond the nov¬ 
ice stage are, of course, used to keep the head above 
water, and for steering, but to the beginner it is neces¬ 
sary to use the legs to keep the head above the surface. 

It will be well for beginners to practice the leg move¬ 
ment before striking out with the arms. At all the I 
seaside resorts the bathing beaches are provided with 
life lines, and pupils when in water waist deep can get 
hold of the rope and practice the leg movement. The 
body should be allowed to assume as horizontal a posi¬ 
tion as possible, the legs being close together, heels 
nearly touching, and the toes turned outward. 

As soon as the body is in proper position for the leg 
practice the back should be slightly hollowed, and the 
head inclined back, not stiffly, but in an easy manner. 

The beginner will now be ready to practice the leg 
22 



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e i 

it, | 
it .}' 


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. stroke. The feet should be drawn up well toward the 
body by the opening and widening out of the knees, 
until the soles of the feet are almost facing the surface 
and submerged but a few inches. Particular care 
should be taken that the knees are not drawn under the 
body. 

As soon as this can be properly accomplished, the 
legs should be extended outward as widely as possible, 
and then brought back to the first position with a 
powerful stroke, somewhat like the action of closing a 
pair of scissoys. 

There should be no stififness in the movements, and 
as soon as this can be done neatly and cleanly the 
combined leg movement should be practiced. The feet 
should be drawn up first, then the legs rapidly extend¬ 
ed, and as they are moving, the lower part of each leg, 
and particularly each foot, should be brought smartly 
together. Never neglect to bring the legs together 
with a snap , as it is in the finish of the stroke that the 
best results are obtained. The circular sweep of the 
leg is accomplished by a peculiar action of the knee in 
straightening the leg. It adds greater impetus to the 
stroke, but this movement will only come by practice. 
It somewhat resembles the movement of the limbs in 
jumping a hurdle. Its exactness, however, cannot be 
described. 

The beginner should learn to go through carefully 
the movements described without jerking or undue 
haste, while the body must be kept in one plane. With 
a little perseverance and, above all, confidence in him¬ 
self as well as his teacher, his leg movements will soon 
23 







begin to approach perfection. The arm movements 
can be very easily practiced on land. The elbows 
should be drawn into the side, and the hands brought 
up to the front of the chest, the thumbs just touching, 
and the palms facing downward. The arms should 
then be shot out to their fullest extent, the hands 
turned slightly outward, and the arms brought round 
until they are at right angles with the body and in line 
with the head and shoulders. The dropping of the 
elbows to the side will bring the hands back again into 
position. 

When practiced in the water, the hands should be 
brought to the front of the chest, keeping the palms 
downward, near the surface, the fingers being fully ex¬ 
tended and lightly, not stiffly, touching each other. 

The hands should be shot forward until the arms 
are fully extended, the palms be turned slightly down¬ 
ward, and both arms simultaneously swept around, still 
a little way below the surface, until they are almost in 
line with the shoulders, when the palms should be 
flattened and the elbows quickly bent so as to bring 
them to the sides of the body again, ready for the next 
stroke. 

It is when the beginner attempts to combine the leg 
and arm movements, and thus actually swim, that his 
troubles begin. 

The principal difficulty to be overcome is the ten¬ 
dency to swallow water, brought about by the failure 
to regulate breathing. If, when learning the arm move¬ 
ments, the pupil will endeavor to inhale systematically 
during the backward sweep, and to exhale while the 

24 




arms are being shot forward instead of holding the 
breath, as is commonly the practice with learners, the 
unpleasantness will soon be surmounted. 

In order to carry out the combined movements, the 
legs should be placed together, the arms stretched out, 
and the body slowly inclined forward, until the legs 
come up from the bottom. Then the arms should be 
swept until at right angles—never to the side—and a 
breath taken as the elbows are folded up, so as to bring 
the hands to the front of the chest, which is a natural 
movement and requires no effort. The legs should be 
drawn up as the hands are shot forward, the legs 
kicked out, and swept around, and brought together 
again, so that when the arms are fully extended the 
body is lying almost horizontally on the surface, with 
the legs closed. 

It seems a very simple thing to learn to swim, and 
so it is, if the learner but have confidence; but many 
boys and girls lack coolness, and feel very timid when 
they first take to the water. It is this feeling which 
has to be studied by the teacher and often makes his 
task arduous, especially when unreasoning parents 
complain that other people’s children have been taught 
in far less time, and that consequently the teacher could 
not have devoted much time to their own. 

The very common practice of throwing boys into 
the water as if they were young dogs, and thereby half 
drowning them, is so senseless and devoid of thought 
that hardly anyone but a fool would dream of doing it. 
Nothing is more harmful to a youngster’s advancement 
as a swimmer. Although he may afterward learn to 
25 



swim, the thought of his early danger is always mag¬ 
nified in his mind when, perhaps years after, he may be 
battling against an adverse current or strong tide for 
his own life. I know a great many cases that have had 
these results. So parents should never force or throw 
their children into the water. Let them have their own 
way. They will go in after playing on the edge for a 
short time like young ducks. 

The great mistake with some novices, and one com¬ 
monly aided by teachers, is the desire to learn swim¬ 
ming in a lesson or two. The teacher points, with 
pride, to such an achievement on the part of one of his 
pupils, while the said pupil, neglectful of his own in¬ 
terest, and satisfied that he is a born water dog, rejects 
hints given him in all kindness, and usually ends up by 
cultivating a bad style. 

The aim of a pupil should be, not a rapid acquire¬ 
ment of the art, but a careful cultivation of the meth¬ 
ods of swimming which have been demonstrated to be 
the best by the real masters of natation. Some of the 
beginners nowadays wish to start direct on the over- 
arm stroke, to the utter neglect of the old breast stroke; 
but I believe that for the general purposes of teaching 
beginners the breast stroke at first is the best. 


26 



CHAPTER IL 


DIFFERENT' STROKES—THE SIDE AND 
OVER-ARM. 

T HERE are many different swimming strokes. 

Years ago nearly all swimmers used the breast 
stroke, and swam with the head and shoulders out of 
water. Even racing men used this antiquated move¬ 
ment. Captain Webb was the first man to discard this 
method, and the “side” stroke became popular. Then 
the captain discovered that the “over-arm” stroke was 
the one to use to get rapidly through the water. 

When swimming on the side, the great difficulty a 
breast-stroke swimmer has to overcome is the tendency 
to roll over on the breast when recovering the propel¬ 
ling arm ready for the next stroke. 

In the side stroke, if the swimmer be on his right 
side, the upper left arm is shot through the water with 
the palm turned sideways and the thumb facing upward 
until it is on a level with the head, when the palm is 
hollowed, turned downward, and the arm, now fully 
extended, is swept backward until the hand reaches the 
left thigh, when the palm is again turned and the 
forearm folded up to the elbow so that the palm is level 
with and almost touching the breast. The swimmer is 
then ready for the next stroke. 

27 





The under right arm, when the propelling stroke of 
the left arm is being made, is shot out beyond and level 
with the undermost side of the head, the hand being 
kept sideways to go through the water until the arm is 
fully extended, when the palm is turned downward. 
Then the arm is pulled steadily downward through the 
water until close to the front of the hips. Then the 
hand is quickly turned sideways in advance of the 
head. Some of the older swimmers use with this arm 
movement the breast-stroke kick, but I discovered an 
original kick and gradually practiced an entirely differ¬ 
ent action. It is a marvelous screw-like kick, and it is 
a method that has been imitated of late years. There 
are naturally slight variations in the style, some men 
even having a kind of double kick, but the general 
principle is the same. 

Supposing the body was absolutely at rest when the 
swimmer is on the side, the legs would be lying one 
above the other. The under, or right, leg is bent as far 
back as possible and the left leg sent slightly forward, 
the left knee at the same time being bent. Then the 
right leg is smartly swirled through the water back 
to the left leg, which is simultaneously straightened 
with force as the under leg comes toward it. The 
perfect leg stroke can, of course, only come with prac¬ 
tice, and better far than all description is actual tuition 
and demonstration from an expert or the watching of 
a swimmer who has acquired the correct stroke. It is 
very difficult at first for a breast-stroke swimmer to 
acquire the proper kick, as well as to keep himself from 
rolling over at each stroke. The head has to be kept 
28 



straight and the body properly balanced, so that the 
least possible resistance is offered to progression. 

The development in side swimming has done much 
to popularize the art of the over-arm stroke for racing. 
The old system of over-arm swimmers was to bring 
their shoulders right over at each stroke, but I, and my 
pupils as well, have gradually improved upon this year 
by year. The under arm and leg movements are the 
same as those I have described for the ordinary side 
stroke, but the upper arm movement is materially dif¬ 
ferent, as during the recovery the arm is brought en¬ 
tirely out of the water and carried forward until in 
e | the front of the face. Then it is bent and swept back 
past the shoulders with a rapid movement until oppo¬ 
site the hips, when the arm, which by this time is 
straightened, comes out of the water and is swiftly 
carried through the air until in front of the face, 
| ready for the next stroke. This movement can be ac¬ 
complished in an easy, graceful manner, very little 
muscular effort being necessary during the recovery. 

When swimming with the over-arm stroke the head 
lies fairly deep in the water, and the breathing has 
therefore to be regulated. Breathing is carried on 
principally through the nose. After a time the swim¬ 
mer learns to inhale naturally during the recovery of 
the upper arm. 

The “Trudgeon” stroke is a kind of double over-arm 
swimming. A modified form of it is used by water 
polo players and by some swimmers for short dis¬ 
tances, but it is very fatiguing. Various kinds of 
double over-arm swimming are known to Indian tribes 
29 









and the natives of some of the Pacific islands. It is a 
killing stroke, but is one of the fastest known. It is 
of no use in a long distance race, but in a short dash 
it is a winner to the one knowing how to use it. It is 
a good stroke for a distance from ioo yards to a quar¬ 
ter of a mile, but of no use beyond that distance. The 
over-hand stroke, however, is the master stroke for all 
distances up to five miles. 


30 



CHAPTER III. 


SWIMMING ON THE BACK—DIFFERENT 
STYLES. 



NE of the most delightful accomplishments of a 


swimmer is the ability to swim on the back. 
| Ngthing is more enjoyable to a swimmer than to “roll 
over” and gently glide through the water while lying 
| in this position. Lying on the back in the water is a 
! delightful experience, which only the accomplished 
swimmer can have a knowledge of. It is one of the 
most exhilarating rests known to swimmers, and can 
only be appreciated by the experienced. 

The ability to swim on the back is an accomplish¬ 
ment which should be acquired by every swimmer, for 
it is by this method of swimming that one is often en¬ 
abled to support a drowning person until assistance ar¬ 
rives, or to bring him to shore if the distance be not 
too great. 

In learning back-swimming, the beginner should 
stand upright and place both hands on the hips, or else 
extend the arms until they are level with the shoulders. 
He should then incline backward, and as this action 
brings the legs off the bottom, a kick, the same as in 
the breast-stroke, should be taken, the knees being kept 
under water. With a little practice, considerable speed 
may be obtained. By turning the head to one side, a 




fairly good idea can be formed of the direction which 
the body is taking. 

There is another style, and one which is much faster 
than the old method. Instead of the hands being kept 
on the hips, the arms during the leg kick are carried 
out of the water until they are just beyond the shoul¬ 
ders, when the hands are dipped into and rapidly swept 
through the water, until close to the hips again. The 
leg kick is made during the recovery of the hands, and 
the style is the sculling movement. The elbows are 
kept close to the side and propelling is accomplished by 
sculling with the hands. And still another style is 
drawing the knees up as high as possible, then kicking 
out straight, the feet being kept close together, the 
hands being kept on the knees until the sudden kick' 
downward. 

In bringing a person to shore the breast-stroke kick 
is not used, as it brings the legs to the surface and into 
contact with those of the drowning person, thereby 
hampering the rescuer. The body has to be inclined 
more, so that the head of the person in danger may be 
kept out of the water, and the rescuer must use a 
semicircular kick from the knee downward. This | 
makes a wonderful difference also in the speed attain¬ 
able when carrying an object. 

The great importance of back-swimming has been 
little recognized by swimmers. Very great attention is 
paid to the faster methods of progression, champion¬ 
ships and ordinary races for every conceivable distance 
having been promoted; back-swimming, however, the 
knowledge of which is of primary importance in saving 
32 








life, has been utterly neglected. Fast side-stroke swim¬ 
ming is of small value in saving life unless other meth- 
1 ods of progression are known to the swimmer, and it 
; has not unfrequently happened that the purely speed 
swimmer has had either to release his hold of a 
drowning person or else to call for help himself. 

The fastest and best style of back-swimming is per¬ 
formed in the following manner: In diving to begin the 
! stroke, as soon as the body has entered the water it is 
turned face upward with a jerk, the arms still being 
kept extended beyond the head. Upon rising to the sur- 
' face the arms are brought round on either side, fully 



SWIMMING ON THE BACK. 


extended, with the hands flat and at right angles to the 
surface so as to catch the water. Each hand thereby 
makes a great sweep of a third of a circle. While this 
is being done the legs are bent ready for the kick. The 
hand, thumb upward, is brought out of the water about 
six inches from the hips, and is taken a complete semi¬ 
circle through the air, the arm meantime being kept 
straight. As the hand travels forward it should be 
turned round as far as can be managed in order to 
bring the palm slightly downward and the thumb up- 
33 








ward, so that the hand may catch the water like the 
float of a paddle-wheel. 

The hands, when entering the water, should be from j 
six inches to a foot apart, not close together, for the 
body would then be retarded slightly at the beginning 
of the arm-stroke. The legs should be kept near the 
surface, the head resting in the water. As in breast¬ 
swimming, there are two movements in this stroke. 
While the leg-kick is propelling the body the arms are 
being recovered. All inspirations are taken during the 
first portion of the arm-stroke. A powerful leg-kick 
is important, but when the arms are used nothing is 
gained by an over-long sweep. The recovery of the 
arms should be accomplished quickly, as the less time 
they are out of. the water the better for the buoyancy 
of the body. A slight variation of this method is made 
by bending both arms at the elbows as they leave the 
water, and carrying them through the air thus bent to 
recommence the stroke instead of keeping them 
straight. This is useful when swimming a distance. 

The same method of recovery of the hands is used | 
when swimming on the back under water, but in the 
propelling movement the arms are brought more 
toward the surface than to the side, so that the body 
may be kept beneath the surface. 

There are many slightly different styles which are 
practiced, such as taking each arm-stroke alternately | 
with a kick of the legs between, or swimming with the 
hands on the hips, folded across the chest, or behind 
the back. 

When saving life the body cannot be kept in the i 

34 


l 





same position as when swimming on the back in the 
ordinary fashion. The legs have to be inclined toward 
the bottom at a greater angle, in order to be moved 
freely without coming into contact with the body of the 
drowning person. The action of the thighs is neces- 
sarily limited, and the best method of swimming when 
thus hampered is to move the legs from the knees 
downward in semicircular sweeps, never actually clos¬ 
ing the legs together. If the ordinary back-stroke kick 
of the legs is used, the rescuer will in his efforts to re¬ 
tain hold of the drowning subject sink, at intervals, be¬ 
low the surface. It is, therefore, important that every 
swimmer should practice the life-saving kick, so as to 
i be able to render assistance when necessary, and to 
learn it the arms should be folded across the chest, and 
the legs kept in continuous motion by short sharp kicks 
and never quite closed together. 




CHAPTER IV, 


FLOATING. 


OME of our most expert swimmers are utterly un- 



o able to float, principally because they rarely prac¬ 
tice; while, on the other hand, men who can hardly 
swim a stroke can give excellent exhibitions of floating. 
Women bathers especially become accomplished “float- 



WAY TO LEARN FLOATING. 


ers” before they know how to swim a stroke. Confi- | 
dence is absolutely necessary; but that this alone is not 
sufficient is evidenced by the inability of men about t 
whose confidence when in the water there is no ques- ; 
tion utterly failing to acquire this portion of the art. I ( 


contend, however, that they could float if they received 1 
36 



















the proper instruction. Their own natural displacement 
would keep them on the surface of the water if they 
went about the effort in the right manner. 

In salt water it is comparatively easy to learn to 
float; but in fresh water the task is very often difficult, 
and it is only after long and continued practice that 
_ success is achieved. 

The usual method of learning is to stand in the 
water nearly up to the shoulders, and gradually lean 
the head back until all of it, with the exception of the 
face, is immersed, the arms meanwhile being slowly 



WAY TO TEACH YOURSELF TO FLOAT. 


carried under the body, palms facing upward until 
they are in advance of the head; then take a full 
breath, close the mouth, and push off slightly from the 
bottom, all this time keeping the legs and arms per¬ 
fectly rigid and the back slightly bowed, with the head 
thrown back. After a short practice everybody can 
accomplish the art by only a slight tension of the mus¬ 
cles ; the rigid position is necessary only to those when 
learning. Every movement must be made slowly and 
37 















patiently, for the merest deflection of one part will 
often cause the body to sink. The waves will probably 
roll over the face at the first attempt; but the swimmer 
must remember this, and so control himself as not to 
open the mouth at this juncture. At each expiration 
the body will sink slightly, and rise again at the next ! 
inspiration. The swimmer must not be afraid of going 
under water, or disheartened thereat; but keep the 
body rigid, back slightly bowed, whatever happens. 

He will then be more ready to practice other methods, 
such as spreading out the arms, widening the legs, or 
better regulation of the breath, all of which are im¬ 
portant factors. The great fault with most beginners 
is the desire to see if they are floating, that is, they 
crane up their heads to look at the legs, with the result 
that those useful limbs sink to the bottom. If the legs 
have a tendency to sink, the head must be laid back, 
and the palms of the hands lowered so as to more easily j 
balance the body and keep the legs on the surface. 

In learning to float, the assistance of a friend, who 
will support the feet with his hands, is often useful, as 
you will then have an opportunity of finding the cor¬ 
rect position in which the body will float on the sur¬ 
face ; not having this kind of assistance, the feet may 
be placed over one of the life lines and the body ex¬ 
tended out along the surface. 

There is yet another way and one often used with 
success. It is to learn, “sculling” first, as referred to 1 
heretofore. 

Sculling is really a style of swimming on the back, 
and is often announced on entertainment programmes 

38 





as “swimming on the back, head first, using the hands 
only.” A reverse motion can be imparted by a slightly 
different motion of the hands. The body is kept in 
the same position as in motionless floating, with the 
exception that the head is brought a little more out of 
the water, while the arms are laid loosely against the 
side of the body, with the palms of the hands down¬ 
ward. The hands are worked from the wrist and fore¬ 
arm in semicircular twists, which impart motion to the 
body, and from which action the term “sculling,” as 
applied to this movement, was adopted. In swimming 
on the back, feet first, the hands are turned downward 
and then worked as in the backward movement, being 
feathered as they return. 

As this movement is preliminary to floating and 
other tricks, and can easily be learned, it is, perhaps, 
just as well, if floating be found extremely difficult, to 
learn this first, because it will impart to the swimmer 
a far greater confidence in his own ability, and will 
teach him how little action is really required to keep a 
person afloat and in motion. 

The swimmer who has learned sculling, but not 
floating, should get momentum to the body by sculling 
head first, and then with a slow semicircular sweep of 
the arms under water bring them to position in advance 
of the head, and try to hang on. 

Floating is such a charming pastime, especially in 
open sea water, that I can imagine nothing better on 
a warm summer day than lolling, as it were, on the 
bosom of the ocean. But floating in the sea with surf 
running high, head toward the combers, is one of the 
39 



most exhilarating and delightful experiences a swim¬ 
mer can dream of. 

PERPENDICULAR FLOATING. 

This modification of the horizontal style of floating 
is fairly easy to learn. The body is stretched out along 
the surface with arms beyond the head as in ordinary 
floating. Then the hands are drawn in under the head 
until the legs sink naturally, and the head, as the legs 
go down, is bent back so as to keep the mouth just 
clear of the water. All the movements necessary must 
be done most slowly and carefully, so as not to inter¬ 
fere with the balance of the body. As in ordinary 
floating, a good deal depends on the regulation of the 
breath. But it must be borne in mind that all styles 
of floating are controlled by the head and muscular 
movements of the body. 


40 





CHAPTER V* 

FANCY WATER FEATS. 


T HE acquirement of the art of floating is quickly 
followed by the desire to perform other feats in 
the water, for a great number of them can only be 
successfully accomplished by persons able to float well. 



THE PENDULUM. 


When performed properly, the trick known as “The 
Pendulum,” because the body swings gently from the 
4i 











face upward to face* downward, and vice versa, is very 
graceful. The swimmer first of all floats motionless on 
the surface of the water, and then proceeds in the same 
manner as when turning from horizontal to perpen¬ 
dicular floating, but inclining the head more forward 
after taking a deep inspiration. Then, when the body 
is in a perpendicular position, the arms move stealthily 
out to the front of the head, which is sunk low down, 
but not before a good inspiration is taken; and the legs 
rise naturally until the body is floating horizontally, 
face downward. A reversal of the movements brings 
the body back to the perpendicular, and finally to the 
horizontal position of floating face upward. Careful 
practice will enable a swimmer to carry out this move¬ 
ment gracefully and with clock-like regularity. The 
great thing to remember is that every movement must 
be made gently and gradually. 

ROLLING ON THE SURFACE 

is another trick. This feat, when well executed, is a 
very pretty one. The body is first of all brought into 
a floating position, the hands beyond the head and the 
thumbs interlocked. When the body is quite steady 
the lungs are filled and then, very gently, the face is 
deflected, either to the right or left, and the particular 
side of the body, to which the head is directed so 
strained by muscular action as to cause the body to 
turn over face downward. Then, without any pause a 
similar muscular action must be commenced on the 
other side of the body, so as to turn it around on the 
face again. It requires a considerable amount of prac- 
42 


tice to do this neatly; but when once the trick is 
acquired it is quite easy to make a number of revolu¬ 
tions in graceful style. 

Two swimmers are required for the 

PLANK OR GLIDE TRICK. 

Both float in a horizontal position, the hands of one 
touching the feet of the other, so that when ready their 
bodies are in a straight line. The one now dips his 
head below the surface and, with a sharp jerk from 
the ankles of the other, forces his body underneath that 



PLANK AND GLIDE TRICK. 


of his friend, and comes out in a straight line beyond 
him. Both bodies move, but in an opposite direction, 
and if the trick be performed neatly the swimmer 
underneath can, when he comes to the surface, lock his 
legs in the hands of the other, who will then repeat the 
movements. 

TREADING WATER 

is a very useful way of swimming for water polo 
players who use the ordinary method, which keeps 
them almost stationary in a perpendicular position, and 
43 














rests them slightly at the same time. The arms are 
extended, palms flat on the water and worked in small 
circles, so as to add to the buoyancy, while the legs are 
kicked as in the breast-stroke. By placing the hands 
on the hips, and working the legs alternately to the 



TREADING WATER. 


front and then backward, while crossing the arms 
over the chest and drawing the legs alternately back¬ 
ward and then to the front, the body can be made to 
move backward. 


44 








SINGLE SOMERSAULTS 


are very easy of accomplishment, and can, when regu¬ 
lation of the breath has been mastered, be continued for 
some time. The body is first of all brought to the 
position of treading water, with the arms lying straight 
out from the body, palms downward. Then the legs 
are drawn up together in front of the body, which is at 
once turned on the back, the hands are forced down 
toward the back, and the body turns over head first. 
This is termed the backward somersault. The forward 
somersault, in which the legs go first, is performed al¬ 
most in precisely the same manner, but the arm action 
is in advance of the body and the head is dropped on 
the chest, instead of being bent back. But the pret¬ 
tiest somersaulting is that from a diving board. It is 
difficult to describe how this is to be done, as the body 
turns in mid-air. 

DOUBLE SOMERSAULTS 

are performed by two swimmers. One stands .upright, 
and spreads out his arms at right angles to the body, 
palms turned downward. The other sinks under the 
water behind the first one, and places his head between 
the legs of the other, spreads out his arms, and brings 
,his legs up at the back, so that the swimmer standing 
Vipright is able to place his head between them. As 
soon as they are ready the backward motion of the 
hands, as for back-somersaulting, is begun, and the 
two bodies are turned over and over, a breath being- 
taken as each head appears above the surface. 

45 




Swimming feet foremost without the aid of the arms 
—sometimes called “walking on the water —is an easy 
trick. 

It is graceful, and it enables a performer to obtain 
comparative rest between difficult feats. The swimmer 
simply lies on the back in a floating position, with the j 
arms carelessly folded, either on the chest or behind 



DOUBLE SOMERSAULT. 


him, and the head slightly inclined back. The body is J j 
then propelled feet first by the alternate actions of the ! 
legs, as when walking. To do it effectively pressure 11 
must be applied in the positive stroke, that is, when the : 
foot is being drawn down. The negative movement or 
46 






















straightening of the leg must be done gently. By the 
pressure being applied to the front of the leg the body 
can be propelled head first. 

To accomplish the propeller trick requires consid¬ 
erable practice. One must be able to float well, and 



SWIMMING FEET FIRST. 


so balance the body as to counteract the sculling action 
of the arms while the exercise is being performed. 
The movement has the tendency to raise the head 
above the level at which it ought to be, in order to 
allow the body to float properly, and thereby brings 



IMITATING THE PROPELLER. 


about the sinking of the feet. At the start the swimmer 
should turn upon his back, place his hands at the side 
of his body, keep the head back and the feet close to¬ 
gether. A slight movement of the hands from the wrists 
will suffice to keep the body in position on the surface. 

47 






















Then swing the arms with a sweep from the body, I 
under the surface of the water, until they are at full 
stretch beyond the head. This action propels the body | 
feet foremost. Directly' the body is in motion the j? 
hands should be moved, by the wrists and forearms j 
only, in semicircular or scoop-like sweeps, the palms I 
being turned outward and the thumbs to the front. | 
The pace can be easily regulated, and if necessary the I 
body turned around by slackening the movement of one 
hand and increasing that of the other, the body then f 
turning to that side on which the slower movement is | 



PORPOISE SWIMMING, NO. i. 


taking place. A stoppage can be made by bringing the 
arms to the side again. This trick, although somewhat 
difficult to learn, has a simple and graceful appearance, 
and becomes very interesting in practice, especially 
when the changes of position, which can be brought 
about by any slight alterations of the hand movements, 
as well as the small force required to keep the body in 
motion, are studied on scientific lines. 

An exhibition of “porpoise” swimming makes a very 
interesting and diverting change from the usual list of 
fancy tricks, and if a number of swimmers take part 
48 















in the entertainment, and perform the trick together, it 
: becomes highly amusing to the spectators. 

When learning this trick there are no very great 
difficulties to be overcome. The ability to float is un- 
necessary, and only swimming power is needed, the 
body being guided in its upward and downward course 
by the action of the arms and the bending forward 
and backward of the head. For speed the performer 
must rely entirely upon the legs, except, of course, 



PORPOISE SWIMMING, NO. 2. 


when swimming under water, when the breast-stroke 
is brought into play. 

\ The trick can be accomplished quite easily. The 
lungs should first of all be cleared, and then a full 
breath taken in. As the chest begins to inflate the 
body should be sunk under water, and the mouth go 
below the surface as the inspiration finishes. A couple 
of under-water breast-strokes, a turn of the head 
upward, and a vigorous kick with the legs will send 
the head out of the water. 

As the body is rising an ordinary arm-stroke should 
be taken, and then, as soon as the head appears, the 
arms, which must be recovered to the first position of 
49 













the breast-stroke, should be forced together downward 
through the water from the level of the surface to the 
side of the hips. This will cause the body to roll over 
as if working on a firm pivot. 

Immediately the hands begin to come down toward 
the hips the legs should be straightened by means of a 
vigorous kick, so as to force the head and shoulders 
out of the water. A quick inclination of the head 
toward the chest will assist the body in its roll over, 
and the back and legs will in turn become visible after 



THE PLUNGE. 


the head is again sunk, the legs being the last to go 
down, in almost the same spot where tfie head dis-f 
appeared. 

If the breathing be fairly regulated, this trick can be 
performed a number of times in succession. 

Smoking, eating and drinking under water are also 
tricks that are accomplished. These feats, however,! 
50 







are done only for exhibition purposes in glass tanks, 
theatres and public places of amusement. 

THE PLUNGE. 

A plunge is a standing dive made head first from a 
firm position, free from spring. After entering the 
| water the body is kept motionless, face downward. No 
progressive action is to be imparted to the plunge other 
than the impetus of the dive. The plunge is part of 
exhibition work in contests, the contestants endeavor- 




WATCHING FINISH OF PLUNGE. 

i ing to travel under water as far from the plunging 
I point as the force of the dive will take them. Many 
I plungers have gone under water as far as 60 and 65 
feet, and there is a record of 75 feet and 7 inches. 

The proper way to make a plunge is to take a firm 
stand near the “take-ofif,” inflate the lungs after taking 
a few deep inspirations, and then make a swift dive, or, 
to speak correctly, a plunge. The proper position to 
5i 










assume after leaving the “take-off” is shown in the 
accompanying illustration. The finish of the plunge is 
illustrated in the second picture produced here. Plung¬ 
ing contests generally take place in enclosed bath 
houses, but the sport can be and is enjoyed on the sea¬ 
shore from stationary platforms or piers. 

Another system of plunging is the feet-foremost ex¬ 
hibition. The swimmer faces the bath when taking this 
leap and jumps forward as far as he can, at the same 
time throwing his arms out beyond the head to the 
same position as the ordinary plunge. The idea is to 


PLUNGING FEET FOREMOST. 



go as far a distance as possible through and under the 
water feet foremost. The proper way to enter the wa¬ 
ter to accomplish this trick is shown in the accompany¬ 
ing illustration. 


5 2 









CHAPTER VI. 


DIVING. 



HE Hawaiians are expert swimmers. Their won- 


I derful diving fills the spectator with boundless 
awe and admiration. To the ordinary American diving 
means simply a plunge into the water head foremost. 
The daring evolutions performed during the plunge 
as a matter of course by swimmers of other maritime 
nations are hardly known, since they have scarcely ever 
been witnessed in America. While we do not excel in 
. speed swimming, we give place to no one in our 
strength and endurance; but we are very far behind 
some other nationalities in the graces and flourishes of 
the art generally, and in diving particularly. 

Witness our average countryman diving. He stands 
on the spring board or river bank, allows his body to 
incline forward over the water, and then, as he de¬ 
scends, describes with his head a quarter circle. He 
appears as if hinged by the feet to the starting point, 
and he falls onto the water with a resounding smack. 

To a Swede, diving means not only plunging into 
the water head foremost, but also springing backward, 
turning somersaults, and “swan diving” from a dis¬ 
tance of twenty, thirty or forty feet. 

“Swan diving” is peculiar to Sweden. It is the very 
poetry of motion, the supreme glory of the art. With 


53 




a standing spring or with a brief run the body is 
launched into the air. At the same moment the head is 
thrown far back, the back sharply hollowed, and the legs 
are straightened and brought together. The arms are , 
spread out on a line with the shoulders, like the wings ( 
of a bird flying. In this position the body swoops 
through the air until within a few feet of the water, 
when the arms are swung together until the hands 
touch, so that the body strikes the water like a falling 
arrow, at the correct angle, with hardly a splash. 

There is no more fascinating dive to watch than this j 
“swan dive” of the Swedes. One after the other, in 
follow-my-leader style, the Swedes run to the edge of 
the diving place and then throw themselves into the I 
air, the impetus gained from the running spring send¬ 
ing the body twenty or thirty feet forward, to drop 
through the air- for all the world as though it were ? 
flying. In England “swan diving” has been christened 
“swallow diving,” for it has the grace of a swallow’s 1 
swoop when flying down with wings outstretched to 
pick a fly from the water’s surface. 

In Sweden it is no uncommon sight to see a party of 
boys flying through the air together performing the 
“swallow dive.” All day long they will enjoy them¬ 
selves practicing these fancy forms of diving, perform¬ 
ing tricks and somersaults that would astonish the 
most expert gymnast. The women become as fearless) 
as the men in the backward and forward somersault, 
dive from comparatively great heights, and are even 
more graceful in their movements. 

Open water swimmers usually make the best divers, 

54 



especially when they have practiced on rocky shores, 
where diving or jumping is compulsory before the 
water can be entered. In public baths the stages are 
always of insufficient height to afford the diver scope 
to become an expert. 

Both in England and America men have often at¬ 
tempted high diving feats without any previous prac¬ 
tice, with the result that many lives have been lost 
through foolhardy jumps from bridges and high cliffs. 
In Sweden, the swimmers invariably learn gradually, 
making careful trial at each height of the diving tower, 
and never attempt a leap from the topmost stage until 
they have mastered those below. 

From a long experience in the science and practice 
of diving, I have learned that those under fifteen show 
the least timidity in taking their first dive. I was the 
first to introduce high diving in America. I gave ex¬ 
hibitions at City Point, South Boston, in 1882-4; at 
Old Orchard Beach, Me.; at Cottage City,. Martha’s 
Vineyard and other places. The distance of the dive 
was 104 feet, and I frequently performed this exhibi¬ 
tion by turning a somersault in the air. 

Many accomplished divers delight in combination 
diving, and two men will perform many clever tricks 
together. One of the most grotesque of these is when 
one man stands upright on the spring board and tightly 
clasps another man’s body round the waist,, holding 
him head downward, putting his own head through 
the other man’s legs. When the upright man springs 
from the board, he throws his legs into the air, so that 
the two men, each clasping the other tightly around the 

55 


waist, turn a somersault. When they reach the water 
the man who started upside down arrives feet fore¬ 
most. Other combination dives are also illustrated in 
these pages. 

The “hand-spring dive” is a very effective specialty 
of many experts. The performer springs off on his 
hands from the diving board, instead of his feet, turn¬ 
ing the body in order to descend feet foremost, or turn¬ 
ing a somersault to arrive head downward. Very 
graceful also is the back-spring dive, in which the 
spring is made backward, the body turning toward the 
spring board. Double somersault dives are made from 
platforms thirty or fifty feet high, the diver making 
two turns in the air and entering the water feet fore¬ 
most. 

One great danger of high diving is the liability that 
ear troubles will result from the shock. To prevent 
this I have found it useful to use a little medicated 
cotton wool, covered with sweet oil, placed in both ears 
when diving, and removed afterward when out for a 
swim. Those not expert in diving, again, are always in 
danger of falling flat when springing from a height. 
This failure is largely due to the habit of stretching out 
the arms before the dive. 

Except when attempted from suicidal heights, most 
dives may be accomplished easily and safely after a 
little scientific training; but without courage nothing 
can be done, for courage is the foundation of every 
diver’s success. 


56 



CHAPTER VII. 

HOW TO SAVE DROWNING PERSONS. 

I T is an easy matter for a swimmer to save a drown¬ 
ing person if you know how. The proper instruc¬ 
tions are herein given. A small man weighing only 
, 102 pounds if he is a good swimmer can easily save a 
200 pound victim if he observes the following instruc¬ 
tions : 

I. When you approach a person drowning in the 
water, assure him, with a loud and firm voice, that he 
is safe. 

II. Before jumping in to save him, divest yourself 
as far and as quickly as possible of all clothes; tear 
them off, if necessary; but if there is not time, loose at 
all events the foot of your drawers, if they are tied, as, 
if you do not do so, they will fill with water and drag 
you. 

III. On swimming to a person in the sea, if he be 
struggling do not seize him then, but keep off for a few 
seconds till he gets quiet, for it is sheer madness to 
take hold of a man when he is struggling in the Water, 
and if you do you run a great risk. 

IV. Then get close to him and take fast hold of the 
hair of his head, turn him as quickly as possible onto 
his back, give him a sudden pull, and this will cause 
him to float; then throw yourself on your back also 

57 



and swim for the shore, both hands having hold of his 
hair, you on your back and he also on his, and, of 
course, his back to your stomach. In this way you 
will get sooner and safer ashore than by any other 
means, and you can easily thus swim with two or three 
persons; the writer has even, as an experiment, done 
it with four, and gone with them forty or fifty yards 
in the sea. One great advantage of this method is 
that it enables you to keep your head up, and also to 
hold up the head of the person you are trying to save. 
It is of primary importance that you take fast hold of 
the hair and throw both the person and yourself on 
your backs. After many experiments, it is usually 
found preferable to all other methods. You can in this 
manner float nearly as long as you please, or until a 
boat or other help can be obtained. 

V. It is believed there is no such thing as a death 
grasp; at least it is very unusual to witness it. As soon 
as a drowning man begins to get feeble and to lose his 
recollection, he gradually slackens his hold until he 
quits it altogether. No apprehension need therefore be 
felt on that head when attempting to rescue a drowning 
person. 

VI. After a person has sunk to the bottom, if the 
water be smooth, the exact position where the body 
lies may be known by the air bubbles, which will oc¬ 
casionally rise to the surface, allowance being, of 
course, made for the motion of the water, if in a tide¬ 
way or stream, which will have carried the bubbles out 
of a perpendicular course in rising to the surface. 
Oftentimes a body may be regained from the bottom, 

58 


before too late for recovery, by diving for it in the di¬ 
rection indicated by these bubbles. 

VII. On rescuing a person by diving to the bottom, 
the hair of the head should be seized by one hand only, 
and the other used in conjunction with the feet in rais¬ 
ing yourself and the drowning person to the surface. 

VIII. If in the sea, it may sometimes be a great 
error to try to get to land. If there be a strong out- 
setting tide, and you are swimming either by yourself 
or having hold of a person who cannot swim, then get 
on your back and float till help comes. Many a man 
exhausts himself by stemming the billows for the shore 
on a back-going tide, and sinks in the effort, when, if 
he had floated, a boat or other aid might have been 
obtained. 

IX. These instructions apply alike to all circum¬ 
stances, whether as regards the roughest sea or smooth 
water. 


59 



CHAPTER VIII. 


HOW TO RESTORE THE APPARENTLY 
DROWNED. 


E VERY swimmer should know how to restore to 
life a person who is apparently drowned. Per¬ 
sons who have swallowed a sufficient quantity of 
water will resemble a dead person. When a victim of 
an accident gets his lungs filled with water and his 
stomach as well, the action of the heart is scarcely per¬ 
ceptible and respiration has ceased entirely. Notwith¬ 
standing the victim’s condition, and although he may 
have been in the water for a long time, there is gener¬ 
ally enough vitality left to bring the subject to life if 
the proper treatment is administered. There are cases 
on record where a man who had been under water for 
more than two hours was revived and restored to per¬ 
fect health. Therefore it is well for all swimmers and 
bathers to know how to restore the apparently drowned. 

Sumner I. Kimball, general superintendent of the 
United States Life Saving Service, has made a careful 
study of the proper method of treating victims, and 
he approves of my methods, which I print below. 
These directions differ from those given by some life 
saving authorities by the addition of means for secur¬ 
ing deeper inspiration. The method frequently ad¬ 
vised, known as the Howard, or direct method, has 
60 


been productive of excellent results, and I approve of 
it. It is, however, here arranged for practice in com 
bination with the Sylvester method, the latter produc¬ 
ing deeper inspiration than any other known method, 
while the former effects the most complete expiration. 
The combination therefore tends to produce the most 
rapid oxygenation of the blood—the real object to be 
gained. A modification of Rule III is published as a 
guide in cases where no assistants are at hand and one 
person is compelled to act alone. 

Rule I. Arouse the Patient. —Do not move the 
patient unless in danger of freezing; instantly expose 
the face to the air, toward the wind if there be any; 
wipe dry the mouth and nostrils; rip the clothing so as 
to expose the chest and waist; give two or three quick, 
smarting slaps on the chest with the open hand. 

If the patient does not revive proceed immediately 
as follows: 

Rule II. To Expel Water from the Stomach 
and Chest (see Fig. I).—Separate the jaws and keep 
them apart by placing between the teeth a cork or small 
bit of wood; turn the patient on his face, a large bun¬ 
dle of tightly rolled clothing being placed beneath the 
stomach; press heavily on the back over it for half a 
minute, or as long as fluids flow freely from the mouth. 

Rule III. To Produce Breathing (see Figs. II 
and III).—Clear the mouth and throat of mucus by 
introducing into the throat the corner of a handker¬ 
chief wrapped closely around the forefinger; turn the 
patient on the back, the roll of clothing being so placed 
as to raise the pit of the stomach above the level of the 
61 


rest of the body. Let an assistant with a handkerchief 
or piece of dry cloth draw the tip of the tongue out of 
one corner of the mouth (which prevents the tongue 
from falling back and choking the entrance to the 
windpipe), and keep it projecting a little beyond the 
lips. In urgent cases I have pierced the tongue with 



a silver hat pin to keep it from choking the windpipe. 
Let another assistant grasp the arms just below the 
elbows and draw them steadily upward by the sides of 
the patient’s head to the ground, the hands nearly 
meeting (which enlarges the capacity of the chest and 
induces inspiration). (Fig. II.) While this is being 
done let a third assistant take position astride the pa- 
62 














tient s hips with his elbows resting upon his own knees, 
his hands extended ready for action. Next, let the as¬ 
sistant standing at the head turn down the patient’s 
arms to the sides of the body, the assistant holding the 
tongue changing hands if necessary* to let the arms 
pass. Just before the patient’s hands reach the ground 
the man astride the body will grasp the body with his 
hands, the balls of the thumbs resting on either side of 
the pit of the stomach, the fingers falling into the 



grooves between the short ribs. Now, using his knees 
as a pivot, he will at the moment the patient’s hands 
touch the ground throw (not too suddenly) all his 
weight forward on his hands, and at the same time 
squeeze the waist between them as if he wished to force 
anything in the chest upward out of the mouth; he 
will deepen the pressure while he slowly counts one, 
two, three, four (about five seconds), then suddenly let 


? * Changing hands will be found unnecessary after some 
practice; the tongue, however, must not be released. 

63 











go with a final push, which will spring him back to his 
first position.* This completes expiration. (Fig. 


hi.) 


At the instant of his letting go, the man at the pa¬ 
tient’s head will again draw the arms steadily upward 
to the sides of the patient’s head as before (the assist¬ 
ant holding the tongue again changing hands to let 
the arms pass if necessary), holding them there while 
he slowly counts one, two, three, four (about five sec¬ 
onds). 

Repeat these movements deliberately and persever- 



FIGURE III. 


ingly twelve to fifteen times in every minute—thus 
imitating the natural motions of breathing. 

If natural breathing be not restored after a trial of 
the bellows movement for the space of about four min¬ 
utes, then turn the patient a second time on the 
stomach, as directed in Rule II, rolling the body in the 

*A child or very delicate patient must, of course, be more 
gently handled. 




64 








I? opposite direction from that in which it was first 
f turned, for the purpose of freeing the air passages 
from any remaining water. Continue the artificial 
|| respiration from one to four hours, or until the patient 
breathes, according to Rule III; and for a while, after 
the appearance of returning life, carefully aid the first 
l; short gasps until deepened into full breaths. Continue 
j the drying and rubbing, which should have been un¬ 
ceasingly practiced from the beginning by assistants, 
taking care not to interfere with the means employed 
[r to produce breathing. Thus the limbs of the patient 
I should be rubbed, always in an upward direction 
I toward the body, with firm-grasping pressure and en- 
I ergy, using the bare hands, dry flannels or handker- 

I chiefs, and continuing the friction under the blankets 
} or over the dry clothing. The warmth of the body can 

II also be promoted by the application of hot flannels to 
i the stomach and armpits, bottles or bladders of hot 
[ water, heated bricks, etc., to the limbs and soles of the 
I feet. 

Rule IV. After-Treatment. — Externally: As 

I soon as breathing is established let the patient be 
I stripped of all wet clothing, wrapped in blankets only, 
!>; put to bed comfortably warm, but with a free circula- 
I tion of fresh air, and left to perfect rest. Internally: 
I Give whiskey or brandy and hot water or other stimu- 
i j lant at hand in doses of a teaspoonful to a tablespoon¬ 
ful, according to the weight of the patient, every ten or 
fifteen minutes for the first hour, and as often there¬ 
after as may seem expedient.. Later manifestations. 

' After reaction is fully established there is great danger 

65 



of congestion of the lungs, and if perfect rest is not 
maintained for at least forty-eight hours it sometimes 
occurs that the patient is seized with great difficulty of 
breathing, and death is liable to follow unless imme¬ 
diate relief is afforded. In such cases apply a large 
mustard plaster over the breast. If the patient gasps 
for breath before the mustard takes effect assist the 
breathing by carefully repeating the artificial respira¬ 
tion. 

Modification of Rule III. 

TO BE USED AFTER RULES I AND II IN CASE NO ASSIST-| 
ANCE IS AT HAND. 

To Produce Respiration.— If no assistance is at 
hand and one person must work alone, place the pa- 



FIGURE IV. 


tient on his back with the shoulders slightly raised on a 
folded article of clothing; draw forward the tongue 
and keep it projecting just beyond the lips; if the 
lower jaw be lifted the teeth may be made to hold the 
tongue in place; it may be necessary to retain the 
66 









!»■ tongue by passing a handkerchief under the chin and 
j? tying it over the head. 

Grasp the arms just below the elbows and draw 
them steadily upward by the sides of the patient’s head 
to the ground, the hands nearly meeting. (See Fig. 
;• IV.) 

Next lower the arms to the side and press firmly 


FIGURE V. 

downward and inward on the sides and front of the 
’ chest over the lower ribs, drawing toward the patient’s 
head. (See Fig. V.) 

Repeat these movements twelve to fifteen times every 
minute, etc. 



67 







CHAPTER IX. 


ANCIENT HISTORY OF SWIMMINCx. 


S WIMMING is an ancient art, and early history re¬ 
garding it will prove interesting. History tells us 
that no branch of education was considered more im¬ 
portant by both the Greeks and Romans than swim¬ 
ming. The poets, too, have sung the praises of early 
swimming, and the writer in his research has found 
many interesting references to the art. The Brahmins, 
members of the first four castes of India—the aristoc¬ 
racy—have always held bathing in high esteem. 

Sonnerat, in the narrative of his voyages between 
the years 1774 and 1781, describes the great religious 
bathing festivals common in India, especially mention¬ 
ing Sandivane, which the Brahmin priests make alone 
to the gods in general; and as the ancient priests of 
Egypt in a like manner purified themselves by bath¬ 
ing in the morning and plunging into the sacred waters 
of the Nile, he remarks that the ceremony was proba¬ 
bly derived by them from the early followers of 
Brahma. 

The Egyptians, as recorded in the Book of Exodus, 
were in the habit of bathing in the Nile; and that it 
was common even among the women of the period is 
evidenced by the fact that the daughter of Pharaoh 
regularly enjoyed the invigorating exercise. 

68 











Although no specific mention of the art is made in 
the records quoted, it can be conclusively proved from 
other sources that it has long been known and under¬ 
stood, and that its practice, not only as a pastime but 
as an effective means of escape from threatened dan- 
• gers, and also as a method of transport in crossing 
j streams, dates back to the remotest era. The monu¬ 
ments of the ancients are the best possible proofs of 
their prowess. In the Nimrod gallery at the British 
Museum there are some interesting bas-reliefs depict¬ 
ing fugitives swimming for refuge to a fortress, and 
also the crossing of a river by Assur Nasir Pal, King 
of Assyria, and his army. The probable date of these 
monuments, which were discovered by Layard in the 
palace of Nimrod, is about 880 B. C. The first slab 
represents a castle, apparently built on an island in the 
[ river. One tower is defended by an armed man; two 
others are occupied by females. Three warriors, prob- 
! ably escaping from the enemy, are depicted as swim¬ 
ming across the stream, two of them on inflated skins 
i in the mode practiced to this day by the Arabs inhabit¬ 
ing the banks of the rivers of Assyria and Mesopotamia, 
except that in the bas-relief the swimmers are shown as 
;j retaining the aperture, through which the air is forced, 
I in their mouths. The third swimmer, pierced by an 
arrow discharged from the bow of a warrior kneeling 
l] on the shore, is represented as struggling against the 
current. 

A study of these bas-reliefs has led authorities 
to infer that the older swimmers were not alto¬ 
gether deficient in the knowledge of the side-stroke, 
69 




which swimmers of today have regarded as a modern 
development. The Assyrian bas-reliefs picture men 
swimming in the side-stroke position as well as with 
the breast-stroke on an inflated skin. A drawing made 
at Pompeii of one of the latter mosaics still remaining 
there gives almost the exact position of the side-stroke 
which is so popular today. There is an interesting 
vase painting to be seen in the British Museum on a 
vessel of the shape known as an oinochoe, or wine 
jug, of the Archaic period (about 520—500 B. C.), 
with black figures on a red ground, the subject repre¬ 
senting a ship on the prow of which (in the form of 
a boar’s head) a nude male figure stands in an attitude 
as if about to dive into the sea. He is apparently being 
pushed off with a stick by a man behind him. The 
subject has not been definitely explained, but may refer 
to the landing of Protesilaos at Troy. He was the 
first of the Greeks to land on the shore of Troy, ^nd— 
that he might be first—he is said to have leaped out 
of the ship and swam ashore. Another explanation is 
that the painting illustrates some religious ceremony, 
such as is described in Frazer’s “Golden Book,” Vol¬ 
ume II, page 213, throwing human victims into the sea 
to appease marine or other deities. 

By the Greeks and Romans, history says, it was usu¬ 
al to stigmatize the uneducated by saying “neque lite- 
ras neque natare didicit.” At first they bathed in the 
rivers and streams, but gradually the luxury of the 
warm bath crept in, and the health-producing open air 
bathing gave way to the more enervating systems now 
adopted in Eastern countries. Homer, in the Tenth 
70 


I Book of the “Iliad,” as described by Alexander Pope, 
v says of Diomed and Ulysses: 

“From nocturnal sweat and sanguine stain 

They cleanse their bodies in the neighbouring main; 

Then in the polished bath, refreshed from toil, 

Their joints they supple with dissolving oil.” 

References to the bathing of Nausicaa, daughter of 
Alcinous, king of Phseacia, and her attendants, in the 
| rivers, are to .be found in the Sixth Book of the 
“Odyssey.” Herodotus also tells us of the daring 
I which the inhabitants of the Greek islands exhibited in 
U swimming and diving. The laws of Lycurgus, the 
I Spartan lawgiver, included swimming, and many of 
: the kindred nations attached an equal value to the 
practice of it. In time of war a knowledge of it was 
I often of extreme value, as frequently no other means 
offered of crossing rivers when pursuing or retreating 
from an enemy. It was made a part of military train¬ 
ing, and highly esteemed as an accomplishment. The 
Lacedaemonians seem to have been opposed to anything 
effeminate. They bathed daily in the waters of Euro- 
■ tas, and Alcibiades, when exiled among them, rendered 
himself popular by adopting this and other customs. 

That bathing in the open water was considered bene¬ 
ficial by the ancients is unquestionable. In the Ninth 
[| Book of the “.Eneid,” Numanus, when taunting the 
Trojans, as described by John Dryden, the English 
I poet, in 1679, says; 

“Strong from the cradle, of a sturdy brood, 

We bear our newborn infants to the flood; 

There bathed amid the stream our boys we hold, 

With winter hardened and inured to cold.” 





The Romans are supposed to have derived their ideas 
as to indoor bathing from the Greeks, but before cov- , 
ered baths became so common in Rome the more ex¬ 
hilarating exercise of swimming was popular. The 
Tiber flowed by the Campus Martius, where the Ro¬ 
man youth - was trained to bear arms, and their exer¬ 
cises included bathing and swimming in the waters of 
the famous river. It is also said that swimming races 
were among their competitions, and this is not at all 
improbable, as the primary thought of the ancients was 
the cultivation of the body in order to endure the hard- I 
ships of frequent wars. 

The conqueror of Britain, Julius Caesar, was re¬ 
nowned as a swimmer, and his soldiers swam across 
the rivers encountered during the long marches inci¬ 
dental to his great campaigns./ It is owing to his 
knowledge of the art that the world is enriched by his 
“Commentaries.” Singularly enough Camoens, the 
Virgil of Portugal, was, like Caesar, once compelled to 
swim with his works in his mouth. 

/Caesar, when attacked by Ptolemy in Alexandria, 
swam to his fleet, and returning with his forces defeat¬ 
ed Ptolemy and proclaimed Cleopatra queenY Shake¬ 
speare describes a race between Caesar and (Cassius as 
follows: 

“I was born as free as Caesar; so were you; 

We both have fed as well; and we can both 
Endure the winter’s cold as well as he: 

For once, upon a raw and gusty day, 

The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, 

Caesar said to me, ‘Dar’st thou, Cassius, now, 

Leap in with me into this angry flood, 

72 



And swim to yonder point?’ Upon the word, 

Accoutred as I was, I plunged in, 

And bade .him follow; so, indeed, he did. 

The torrent roared; and we did buffet it 

With lusty sinews, throwing it aside 

And stemming it with hearts of controversy. 

But ere we could arrive the point propos’d, 

Caesar cried, ‘Help me, Cassius, or I sink.’ 

I, as .Tineas, our great ancestor, 

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder 
The old Anchises bear, so, from the waves of Tiber, 

Did I the tired Caesar; and this man 
Is now become a god.” 

Seneca, the Roman statesman, author and philoso¬ 
pher, is said to have been so fond of a cold bath that 
he often used to plunge into the Euripus in midwinter. 
In his writings he inveighs strongly against tepid baths. 
Plutarch, in his life of Cato, mentions that the philos¬ 
opher taught his son to traverse rapid waters and dan¬ 
gerous gulfs, and Suetonius incidentally remarks that 
the .Emperor Augustus taught his nephew to swim. 

It is stated that the Romans even incorporated a so¬ 
ciety of divers known as Urinatores. Gruterus gives 
the following inscription: 

“Patrono Corporis Piscatorum et Urinatorum,” 
and says that there then remained on one of the gates 
of Rome the old characters: 

“FI. Annseo Lemoni fortunato Piscat urinatori, 2 2 
iii.” 

In the reign of the Emperor Severus the Byzantines 
were besieged for three years by the Greeks, and were 
in such dire straits that they at length resolved to at¬ 
tack their adversaries’ fleet with their divers. These 

73 


cut the cables under water, and having fastened them 
to some cables of their own ships carried off those of 
the enemy without their men, which obliged the Gre¬ 
cians to raise the siege. 

The story told in one of the poems attributed to 
Musseus of Leander, a young man of Abydos, who 
swam nightly across the Hellespont to visit his love, 
Hero, a priestess of Venus, and who was one night 
drowned in the attempt to reach the opposite shore, il¬ 
lustrates the fact that swimming was largely cultivated 
at this remote age, as, even if the story be a myth, it 
is doubtless founded on some daring feat well known 
to the poet. Lord Byron in 1810 proved beyond ques- ' 
tion that the swim was easy of accomplishment to an 
expert. The actual breadth of the course is barely an 
English mile, but the distance covered by Lord Byron 
and Lieutenant Ekenhead, of the “Salsette,” was com¬ 
puted by those on board the frigate to be a little more 
than four English miles, as the currents are so strong 
that it is impossible for even a boat to go directly 
across. Byron’s description of his swim is well 
known: 


“If, in the month of dark December, 
Leander, who was nightly wont 
(What maid will not the tale remember?) 
To cross thy stream, broad Hellespont! 


“If, when the wintry tempest roar’d, 
He sped to Hero, nothing loth, 
And thus of old thy current pour’d, 
Fair Venus! how I pity both.. 

74 




“For me, degenerate modern wretch, 

Though in the genial month of May, 

My dripping limbs I faintly stretch, 

And think I’ve done a feat today. 

“But, since he cross’d the rapid tide, 

According to the doubtful story, 

To woo—and—Lord knows what beside, 

And swam for love, as I for glory. 

“’Twere hard to say who fared the best; 

Sad mortals! thus the gods still plague you. 

He lost his labor, I my jest; 

For he was drown’d and I’ve the ague.” 

All students of history are well acquainted with the 
noble deed of the brave Roman soldier Horatius Codes, 
who, with his two comrades, Spurius Lartius and Her- 
minius, defended the passage against the Tuscan host 
while their countrymen were hewing away the bridge 
that connected the river’s banks. His co-defenders 
escaped across the bridge when it was falling, and Ho¬ 
ratius was left alone facing the troops of Lars Porsena. 
The scene which followed has been vividly related by 
Macaulay, in his “Lays of Ancient Rome”: 

“Never, I ween, did swimmer, 

In such an evil case, 

Struggle with such a raging flood 
Safe to the landing place. 

But his limbs were borne up bravely 
By the brave heart within, 

And our good father Tiber 
Bore bravely up his chin.” 

In commemoration of the services of Horatius 

75 


Codes a statue was raised in his honor by the Consul 
Publicola. 

The Roman ladies not only enjoyed their daily bath, ; 
but evidently made swimming a study, as is evidenced 
by the fact that Claelia, a Roman virgin, who was given 
with other maidens as hostages to Porsena, escaped 
from the kingdom of Etruria and swam across the 
Tiber to Rome, where a statue was afterward erected 
in her honor. 

“The captive maids there tempted the raging tide, 

’Scaped from their chains, with Claelia for their guide.” 

Bathing was regarded as a daily duty* by the Ro¬ 
mans. According to Fabricius, there were no fewer 
than eight hundred and fifty baths in Rome and its 
environs. Some of these baths were of the most lux¬ 
urious description, and were of such immense propor- j 
tions that over a thousand persons could be accommo¬ 
dated in them. They were used by the highest person¬ 
ages in the empire, and the Emperors themselves were 
not above mixing with their subjects. According to 
Pliny, the baths were opened at eight in the winter 
and nine in the summer, but Vitruvius says the prin¬ 
cipal time of bathing was from noon until the evening. 
The bathers were anointed with oil scented by herbs, 
and when Julius Caesar died he left a large quantity of 
oil annually to the bathers of Rome. The price of ad¬ 
mission was small. In the time of Horace it was only 
the fourth of a quadrans (half a cent), and Gibbon 
tells us that the meanest Roman could purchase with 
a small copper coin the daily enjoyment of a scene of 

76 




pomp and luxury which excited the envy of the kings 
of Asia. 

The famous Roman baths were those of Caracalla, 
Diocletian, Agrippa, Trajan, Titus, etc. The exca¬ 
vations made at Pompeii have also revealed the fact 
that bathing was almost a passion with the Romans, 
and that toward the decline of the empire the baths 
became more luxurious than ever. The baths erected 
by Aurelius Antoninus Bassianus, nicknamed Cara¬ 
calla, may be taken as a typical example. Caracalla’s 
bath was completed by him in 217 A. D., and the 
building was restored about 500 A. D. by Theodoric. 
The whole enclosure consisted of an oblong square, 
with large flat apses on each flank, and was about 1,108 
feet long, exclusive of the apses, by 1,060 feet deep, ex¬ 
clusive of the reservoirs. It was about a mile round, 
and contained about thirty acres, with an additional 
space of one and a half acre for reservoirs. The tanks 
were capable of containing about 15,000,000 gallons of 
water. The main building was about 716 feet long by 
367 feet deep, with a semicircular projection at the 
back, 164 feet in diameter. There was a gymnasium 
on either side, with a front and two side entrances to 
each. The centre or bath portion had two large en¬ 
trances, with a large swimming bath between them. 
It is said the big pavilion covering the bath had 1,600 
polished seats for bathers, and was fitted in such a 
style of magnificence that an almost incredible sum 
must have been spent in its erection. The grounds at 
the rear of the main building were laid out with trees 
and walks, with open spaces and seats. 

77 



These Roman baths were termed thermse, and were 
used for various purposes. There were cold, tepid, j 
warm, hot vapor and swimming baths, a gymnasium, 1 
open spaces for ball games and exercises, lecture rooms, 
halls for discussion, schools for professional athletes, , 
etc. Vast stores of oil, perfumes, dust for athletes, § 
wood and pitch for the fires, and towels, had to be 
maintained, and an army of slaves to attend to the re¬ 
quirements of the bathers and assist in the manage¬ 
ment of these stupendous undertakings. 

In comparison with the size of the buildings, some 
of the swimming tanks seem to have been very small. 
Those at Pompeii are but thirteen feet in diameter. 
Cicero evidently did not appreciate this limited accom- j 
modation for swimmers, for he complained to his 
brother Quintus that he needed a wider piscina, so that 
he might not hurt his hands when he flung them out. 

Lucian, in a paper on “Hippias, or the Bath,” de- 
scribes three handsome cold water swimming baths 
designed by him, which were made of green marble, 
and ornamented with statues. 

The literature of swimming is but meagre, and the 
records of its growth in popular favor are therefore 
difficult to obtain. It seems to have declined in public 
estimation after the fall of Rome, and to have been 
neglected by the great warlike nations, who until that 
period had encouraged it as a means of health and 
physical training. The Roman patrician, bishop and 
poet, Sidonius Apollinaris, distinguishes the Franks 
from Barbarians as “the swimmers,” and Charlemagne, 
their great king in later years, was known as an ac- 
78 








I complished swimmer. The tribes of Northern Europe 
indulged in the art to some extent, and it is recorded in 
[ Pontoppidan’s “History of Norway” that the swim- 
1 ming powers of Olaf Fryggeson, a king of Norway, 
.. could not be equaled. In the MS. Cott. Titus, A. xxiii, 
j the following recommendation to those that follow a 
military profession appears: 

“To swymme is eke to lerne in sommer seson. 

Men fynde not a bridge so often as a flood 
Swymmyng to voyde; and chase hoste wil eson 
Eke after rayne the rivers goeth wood, 

That every man in t’host can swymme is good; 

Knyght, squyer, footman, cook and cosymere, 

And grome, and page, in swymmyng is to lere.” 

Peacham in describing the requisites for a complete 
|| gentleman mentions swimming as one, and particularly 
] recommends it to such as are inclined to follow a mili- 
|». tary profession. It has often proved of service to mili¬ 
tary and naval officers at critical periods. In the fa- 
i molts defense of Genoa an officer swam with dispatches 
< from General Massena through the English fleet, and 
after delivering them to the First Consul returned with 
replies. Sir Cloudesley Shovel, when a cabin boy, also 
I conveyed a dispatch by swimming under a heavy fire, 
and there are many other instances of equally gallant 
feats on record. 

The inhabitants of the lake dwellings, or crannogs, 
who flourished during the Stone and Bronze ages, 

| were no doubt proficient in the art of natation. The 
remains of many of the lake dwellings have been found 
in Scotland and Ireland. As late as 1567 there is an 
79 

I 



instance recorded of an attack being made upon one 
of these, situated in a lough near Omagh, by Sir Henry 
Sidney, at which Edward Vaughan, although well able 
to swim, was drowned through being heavily armed. 

The edition of the “Vision of Piers Plowman” pub¬ 
lished in 1550 contains the following reference to ' 
swimming and diving: 

“Take two strong men and in Temese cast them, 

And both naked as a needle, ther non sikerer than other; 

The one hath cunnynge and can swymme and dyve, 

The other is lewd of that laboure, lerned naver to swym. 

Which trowest of these two in Temese is most in dred, 

He that never dived ne nought can of swymmyng, 

Or the swymmer that is safe if he himself lyke?” 

Sir Thomas Elyot, in “The Boke named the Gov- 
ernour,” published in London in 1531, and again in 
1537, says: “There is an exercise which is right profit¬ 
able in extreme danger of wars, but because there • 
seemeth to be some peril in the learning thereof, and 
also it hath not been of long time much used, especially 
among noblemen, perchance some readers will very lit¬ 
tle esteem it, I mean swimming. But notwithstanding, 
if they revolve the imbecility of our nature, the haz- j 
ards and danger of battle, with the examples which 
shall hereafter be showed, they will, I doubt not, think 
it extremely necessary to a captain or man of arms.” 

Shakespeare seems either to have been a capable l 
swimmer or else well versed in the principles of the 
art. His description of the trial of strength between | 
Caesar and Cassius has already been quoted. In the i 
80 



play of “Henry the Eighth” Cardinal Wolsey, in his 
speech to Cromwell, remarks: 

“I have ventur’d 

Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders, 

This many summers in a sea of glory, 

■ But far beyond my depth.” 

Again in the play of “The Tempest” there is the fol¬ 
lowing description of an escape from a wreck: 

“Sir, he may live! 

I saw him beat the billows under him, 

And ride upon their back. He trod the water, 

Whose enmity he flung aside, and breasted 
The swollen surge that met him. 

His bold head 

High ’bove the most contentious waves he kept, 

And oared himself with his strong arms to shore.” 

Burton, in his “Anatomy of Melancholy,” mentions 
swimming as one of the pastimes both of the gentry 
and common people. It was, we know, part of the 
pleasure of the French nobles, for Louis XI and his 
courtiers used frequently to bathe together in the Seine, 
and the English kings gradually adopted the prac¬ 
tice. In the reign of Charles II swimming and foot 
races became fashionable in England. Colonel Blood, 
when arrested in 1672 for stealing the Crown jewels 
at the Tower, confessed to King Charles II that on 
one occasion he had engaged to shoot His Majesty as 
he went to swim in the Thames above Battersea, but 
that when he was about to take aim the awe of majesty 
paralyzed his hand, and that he not only gave up his 
^design but bound his confederates to do the same. 

The first actual work on swimming that can be 
81 


traced is one published in the year 1538, termed 
“Colymbetes, sive de Arte Natandi,” by Nicolas Wyn- 
man, a Dutchman. It is written in dialogue form, the 
interlocutors being Pampirus and Erotes. In 1587 a 
work from the pen of Everard Digby was published in 
England. This book is in Latin, and includes some 
very curious full page wood cuts. This work was very 
largely plagiarized by later writers, as were also those 
of Wynman and Thevenot, a French writer, whose 
first book appeared about 1697. Digby’s book was 
translated into English by Christopher Middleton in 
1595, and practically copied by William Percy in 1653. 
Percy’s book purports to demonstrate the rules and 
practice of swimming in an exact, plain and easy 
method, necessary to be known and practiced by all 
who studied or desired their own preservation. It is 
addressed to the “ingenious, prudent and self-preserv¬ 
ing reader and vigilant practicer of the thrice noble 
exercise and art of swimming.” The following argu¬ 
ments, used by one of the earlier writers on swim¬ 
ming, are both interesting and amusing: 

“It is healthful for our bodies, clearing them from 
sweat and outward filth, and the greatest profit of all 
is the preservation of our own lives; what more dear ? 
what more precious? Skin for skin, and all that a 
man hath he will give for his life. As King Richard 
III, when his horse was killed under him at Bos- 
worth Field, would have given a kingdom for another 
horse, and thereby he might have saved himself, and 
the other kingdom, cried out, ‘A kingdom for a 
horse.’ Were the greatest potentate in the world in 
82 





clanger of drowning, would he not give half of his 
dominions to anyone that could save his life? Yea, all, 
rather than die. 

“To excite you to this noble and self-saving exer¬ 
cise, modern examples I could give you many, as not 
long since a gentleman in danger of drowning in the 
Thames cried out: ‘A thousand pounds for him that 
will help me! 1 Had he spent but the tithe of that 
time he had employed in some other vain recreation in 
learning this art he might have saved himself and his 
money, too. 

“I could very well wish that every man and woman 
were perfect in swimming likewise; which with a lit¬ 
tle practice they easily may attain unto, and that they 
may do it, this ensuing treatise is on purpose com¬ 
posed, to direct them, as I am assured i't perfectly will, 
and that not only in one only usual posture of swim¬ 
ming, that'is on the belly, but in very many various 
postures; some far more easier than that common way 
of swimming on the belly, and not so toilsome and 
wearisome, for a man may swim on his back without 
any motion of his arms, less with his body, than he 
must use when he swims upon his belly, and more 
free from gusts of waves which sometimes, otherwise, 
he must be forced to receive against his face, and so 
consequently into his mouth. 

“This ensuing treatise will clearly demonstrate unto 
you that man doth, or at least may, naturally swim, 
better than any creature; nay, as he is the more noble, 
and above all other creatures, so, indeed, he excels 
them all in swimming, nay, fishes themselves. 

83 


‘The first degree in swimming is to bear ourselves 
upon the water. And this may be said to be done in 
two ways: either by holding up the head only above 
the water, or by lying more flat upon the water and 
bearing up the middle of the body. 

“As all other creatures have the gift of Nature in 
greater or less measure to swim without the help of 
art, which they are incapable of, so man by art, to¬ 
gether with the help of Nature, excels all other crea¬ 
tures in swimming. 

“But here it may be objected that fishes whose per¬ 
petual motion is swimming, and that in a wonderful 
manner, are to be excepted. 

“To this we answer that fishes are by Nature as¬ 
signed to this element; and this is their natural place, 
wherein they live without any respiration; but to a 
man, who gives out and draws in breath, the water is 
violent and deadly; wherefore, fishes being long de¬ 
tained in the air, or men in the water, die and perish, 
so that, although fishes may challenge to themselves a 
precedency in swimming, yet, if we consider this very 
reason of their habitation and nature, fishes are very 
far inferior to man, who is skillful in the art of 
swimming. 

“For a man may swim with his face upward, down¬ 
ward ; on his right side, on his left side; stand, sit, lie, 
carry his clothes and other things safely, walk in the 
bottom of waters; which no fishes or other creatures 
can do.” 

The same author recommends persons not to bathe 
at night when “toades, snakes and other hurtful poi- 
84 



sonous things are abroad,” and also to abstain from 
going into the water at the changes of the moon. 
Some of the “maximes in swimming” are also very 
quaint. To turn with “both legs and arms upwards” 
is stated as the best method for a swimmer desirous 
of “avoiding ships flying under sail, in danger to run 
over him, of boats unadvisedly coming too near him, 
and likewise should there be any lions, bears or fierce 
dogs lurking in the river.” A conversion, or turning 
like a bell; circumvolution, or turning about in the 
water; a quadrupatite, or four-fold percussion or strik¬ 
ing on the water; retrogradation, or swimming back¬ 
ward ; the side-turn, circulation or turning round; the 
perpendicular conversion, or turning being upright in 
the water, and the nimbleness of a dolphin, are some 
of the feats named. 

Dr. E. Baypard refers to the value of swimming in 
a poem entitled “Health,” which was issued in 1764: 

“Of exercises, swimming’s best, 

Strengthens the muscles and the chest, 

And all their fleshy parts confirms. 

Extends, and stretches legs and arms, 

And with a nimble retro-spring, 

Contracts, and brings them back again. 

“As ’tis the best, so ’tis the sum 
Of exercises all in one, 

And of all motions most, compleat, 

Because ’tis vi’lent without heat.” 


85 


CHAPTER X. 


FAMOUS ENGLISH CHANNEL SWIMMERS. 


M ONTAGU HOLBEIN, an Englishman, is one 
of the most famous swimmers of the present 
time. And his fame, too, is due to something which 
he failed to accomplish. He made the attempt to swim 
across the English Channel, his starting point being on 
the coasjt of France, and, although he failed to reach 
the English shore, his swim was a most remarkable 
one. He was in the water for more than twenty-two 
hours, and . when he was taken from the water in an 
unconscious condition he .was but a half mile from the 
beach on the British side. 

It was in August, 1902, that Holbein made his gal¬ 
lant struggle to cross the Channel. He entered the 
water at Cape Gris Nez (Cape Gray-Nose), France, 
and his objective point was Dover, England. The 
distance that separates the shores at these two points 
is about twenty miles, but the tides of the Channel are 
very swift, and as they change six times in twenty- 
four hours it is necessary for a swimmer to cover twice 
the distance before going from one shore to the other. 
Some persons who have calculated the distance cov¬ 
ered by Holbein in his twenty-two hour swim estimate 
that he swam over fifty miles. 

Flolbein when he entered the water was nude with 
the exception of a small pair of trunks, and his body 
86 




MONTAGU HOLBEIN. 

the daytime, and it was the following day before his 
swim ended. He was in the water during the entire 
night, and the watchers on the tug kept track of him 
by the aid of searchlights. At intervals one of his 

87 


was covered with oil. He had trained for four months 
to get himself ready for the task, and he was in perfect 
physical condition. He was followed by a tug and a 
corps of trainers and friends. The start was made in 







trainers would swim from the tug to his side and pro¬ 
vide him with nourishment. His food during the trip 
consisted of hot beef broth, cocoa, sugar, raw eggs and 
thin slices of mutton. Not a drop of alcoholic stimu¬ 
lant did the swimmer touch during the trip. Holbein 
made a gallant struggle to reach the English coast, but, 
when victory seemed almost in his grasp, and when 
the shore was in plain view of the swimmer, his 
strength failed him and, becoming unconscious, his 
friends pulled him from the water and physicians took 
charge of him. He was soon restored to health. 
When taken aboard the tug he had been in the water 
just twenty-two hours and twenty-one minutes. 

Holbein recovered soon from the severe strain, but 
for several days he was troubled with a stiffness of the 
arms, shoulders and legs, and a sore throat and mouth 
caused by swallowing sea water. Except for that he 
felt little the worse for his experience. After a tem¬ 
porary collapse when he was taken out of the water, 
he walked the length of the pier, where the tug landed, 
with the assistance of the arm of a friend on either 
side. 

In describing his swim Holbein says that for the 
most part of the time his mind was a blank, as he tried 
not to think of anything. He calculated that he made 
25,000 strokes in his swim across the Channel. He 
said that he had the greatest hope of succeeding when 
he was a half mile from the shore of St. Margaret’s 
Bay, but the western tide was very strong and set him 
out again. 

Holbein’s advice on how to obtain and retain physl- 

88 







cal health is interesting. Several days after his swim, 
when interviewed by newspaper men, he said: 

“Early hours, good, plain food at regular times and 
' plenty of outdoor exercise are the simple though ef¬ 
fective means to sound health. When nine years of 
age I had to walk four miles morning and afternoon 
to school, and from that time I have always found 
walking not only a great pleasure but almost a tonic 
if depressed or any way out of sorts.” 

For his Channel swim Mr. Holbein started training 
in February, walking every day from ten to fifteen 
miles and swimming in the baths an hour three times 
| a week to start with, increasing the time as the months 
went on. In June he first swam in the open, his fa¬ 
vorite training place being Wateringbury, near Maid¬ 
stone, where he swam in the Medway between Yalding 
and Teston Locks. When training he would swim 
■ two, four or six miles a day. 

Mr. Holbein does not smoke. On this point he said: 

“I am quite certain that, at any rate while training, 
smoking would be most injurious—in athletic parlance, 
it spoils your wind! I always feel very sorry to see 
young men and often even quite small boys, smoking, 

| and I always, if I have the chance, speak to lads on 
the subject. 

“I feel certain that if lads understood the harm they 
are doing themselves they would keep from smoking, 
at any rate till after twenty-five years of age. * * * 

[ Unfortunately, smoking so often leads to drinking. 
For my own part, I never touch spirits except as a 
89 






medicine, and I am practically a teetotaler, my favorite 
drinks being milk and soda and ginger beer.” 

Finally, Mr. Holbein attributes his being able to 
continue athletics years longer than most men (he 
being over forty-one at the time of his Channel swim) 
to “non-smoking and abstinence from alcoholic 
liquors.” 

Replying to a question which was much debated on 
the tug and in Dover, whether during the last hour or 
two of his swim alcoholic stimulants would not have 
been advantageous to him, he said that he did not 
believe that they would. 

“My own experience has proved this point,” he says. 
“The only exception I have made is about ten minutes 
before the end of an especially big feat of endurance, 
such as twenty-four hours of cycling, when I take a lit¬ 
tle egg and brandy. The reaction after alcoholic stim¬ 
ulants during such undertakings I have found to be 
terrible.” 

Many swimming experts say the failure of Holbein 
to breast the troubled twenty miles that part France 
from England was due to the cause that has baffled 
many a swimmer there before—the fierce tides that 
sweep up and down that narrow way, tossing the 
water into choppy waves and bearing him far from his 
course. Holbein, after being in the water thirteen 
hours, calculated that the completion of the distance at 
the same rate would occupy thirty-six hours, and was 
constrained to give up. When Captain Webb swam 
the Channel the tides carried him fifteen miles out of 
his course, and the feat occupied twenty-one hours and 
90 


I forty five minutes. How much the tide and waves 
counted for in this result is shown by comparison with 
• easier long-distance swims: 

Mercardier, twenty miles with current. 4 59 46 

I Webb, forty miles with tide. 9 57 00 

1 Miss Beckwith, twenty miles with current. 6 25 00 

. Webb, twenty miles (made thirty-five by tides) 

crossing Channel. 21 45 00 

Holbein’s failure leaves the Channel what it has 
been, the supreme test of the swimmer’s strength, skill 
and endurance. By comparison with the feat in which 
\ be honorably failed, the long swims of the past are 
trifling. Leander’s crossing of the Hellespont about 
compares with swimming the Hudson at New York. 

' Byron, who was lame, rather stout and only a fair 
swimmer, accomplished it without training for the 
task. 

Captain Webb is the only swimmer who succeeded 
i in swimming across the Channel. Webb was an 
American, and was the strongest and best swimmer 
who ever lived. He swam the Channel in less time 
than Holbein got within a half mile of the finish, and 
at the end of his contest he walked upon the beach 
| without assistance. This great swimmer lost his life 
at Niagara when attempting to swim through the 
treacherous whirlpool there. Such exhibitions are fool¬ 
hardy, and I don’t approve of them. Carlisle Graham, 
aided by a stout life preserver, last year completed his 
sixth trip through the Niagara rapids. Holbein failed, 
but his effort demonstrated something. These con¬ 
trasted feats well typify the distinction between mere 

91 









foolhardiness and those trials of strength, skill, cour¬ 
age and endurance which in all ages have made irre¬ 
sistible appeal to strong men. 

To commit oneself to the Niagara rapids in a bar¬ 
rel or a life-belt is gambling with death. One may be 
killed like Webb and Maud Willard, or come through 
safely like Graham. It is a matter of chance, and 
neither skill nor experience has much to do with the 
event. But let no one try the Channel swim who has not 
great muscles and a mighty store of vitality to stand for 
twenty hours or more the chill and the pounding chop 
of the sea! Yet no summer passes that some swimmer 
does not make the attempt. Holbein tried it twice in 
1902, not to speak of less promising aspirants. I bid 
success to all who try conclusions with the Channel. 
As to Mr. Graham, his courage is undoubted but mis¬ 
applied. 


92 


CHAPTER XL 


WHERE TO SWIM. 


Balmer’s Beach and Other Pleasure Resorts. 
HE United States is well provided with bathing 



I beaches, its coast on the East, South and West pos¬ 
sessing facilities for bathing that cannot be excelled in 
any country in the world. There is salt water and 
fresh water bathing in the United States at the various 
resorts from one year’s end to the other, the climate 
of many of the Southern States making a plunge in 
the ocean at Christmas time as pleasant as during July 
in the Northern climate. Florida particularly is well 
provided with winter resorts, and bathing there is en¬ 
joyed in winter as well as in summer. 

The New England States are well favored with 
bathing beaches, but Long Island is really the place 
where is found the bathers’ paradise. The beautiful 
white sand beaches of Long Island and the admirable 
natural facilities present possibilities of bathing spots 
for millions that only those who can picture a view 
of the future can realize. 

Long Island does not yet possess one-tenth of the 
bathing resorts it undoubtedly will have within a few 
years, but it already has a magnificent resort that ac¬ 
commodates more bathers than any similar place in the 


93 


world. Figures show that this broad statement is 
made advisedly. The place is Balmer’s Beach at 
Coney Island. 

It is admirably situated on the Atlantic Ocean and 
adjoins Seaside Park, so that bathers at this resort 
enjoy the privilege of a stretch of beach for a half 
mile or more in addition to the magnificent beach ad¬ 
jacent to the immense pavilion. The promenade—a' 
mile long—east from Balmer’s Beach cannot be ex¬ 
celled by any other seaside resort in the world. Trav¬ 
elers frequently refer to the beauties of the beach at 
Narragansett Pier, but there is really no room for 
comparison when that beach is compared with the 
beaches of Coney Island referred to in the foregoing. 

Of the 3,000,000 people, up to the 1903 season, who 
have bathed at Balmer’s not one has ever been 
drowned. There have been one or two cases of heart 
failure, but no drownings. Volumes could not say 
more for the precautions for safety taken there. Balm¬ 
er’s Beach is not far from the terminus of Brooklyn’s 
famous cycle path and the Ocean Parkway Boulevard, 
and enjoys the privileges of such a magnificent beach 
that 10,000 people tread it without crowding. Pictur¬ 
esquely these people abandon themselves to rest and 
enjoyment. On another page of this book is presented 
a remarkable lifelike photograph of a scene at this big 
bathing pavilion. 

All sorts and conditions of men, women and chil¬ 
dren loll about on the sand in bathing suits,- run along 
the wet beach, splash in the water and swim in the 
ever-curling breakers. A bathing suit and a ducking 
94 



BALMER’S BATHING PAVILION, CONEY ISLAND. 
























in salt water is a great leveler of classes, and the only 
aristocracy at a bathing beach is that of the best swim¬ 
mers and divers. A refined class of persons is always 
found on this beach, as it is conducted with strict rules 
of propriety. 

Balmer’s great, cool pavilion contains 1,600 dressing 
rooms. The bathing suits are daily sterilized, and are 
washed and ironed by machinery. The conduct of the 
bathers must be as clean as the beach itself, which is 
as smooth as. if you were the only one who ever pat¬ 
tered over it for a plunge in old ocean. 

After your sea bath at Balmer’s you can return to 
the pavilion to enjoy the needle or shower baths, or 
for a refreshing plunge in the big fresh water tank 
that will hold ioo at one time, the water in it contin¬ 
ually changing. Then you scurry up the stairs to your 
room to dress, or if you choose you go down for a hot 
sea-water bath, a Turkish bath, or a rubdown with al¬ 
cohol or bay rum. Steam rooms free to all bathers are 
also provided by Mr. Balmer for his customers, a sep¬ 
arate s room being reserved for ladies and children. 
Persons easily chilled by the salt water get relief in the 
steam room, and can go to their dressing rooms after 
a few minutes’ “warming up,” and be in perfect con¬ 
dition to dress in comfort. 

This big establishment is supplied with power by a 
large engine room, where there is a fire pump that 
pumps sea water into 8,000 feet of rubber hose. The 
fresh water is supplied by six artesian wells 180 feet 
deep. 

Mr. Balmer maintains an admirable life-saving corps. 

97 


At all times during the bathing hours two life boats 
in charge of professional life-savers patrol the beach 
outside the life-lines, and when the weather is rough 
bathers are not permitted to go beyond a certain point. 
At no similar place in the world are so many precau¬ 
tions taken to insure against drownings, and the ad¬ 
mirable record made by the institution demonstrates 
that the precautions taken have not been in vain. The 
life-saving corps has been called upon more than 500 
times within the last few years to get foolish persons 
out of unpleasant predicaments, but in every case the 
life-savers landed the victim safely on the beach. Ac¬ 
cidents are generally due to the foolhardiness of the 
bathers, but in some cases the uncertain conduct of the 
big combers that roll into Coney Island take the 
bathers by surprise and cause the life-saving corps, 
which is always alert, to straighten out the confusion 
that sometimes follows. 

Records on file at the office of this big institution 
show that it accommodates more bathers in a season 
than any similar bathing establishment in the United 
States or Europe. As many as 16,000 bathers in one 
day have enjoyed a plunge in the ocean at Balmer’s. 
The usual number of persons daily visiting the beach 
in the open season is from 4,500 to 5,000. Saturdays 
generally find 9,000 bathers seeking suits, and the usual 
number accommodated Sundays is from 11,000 to 
12,000. The “banner” days are Fourth of July, Labor 
Day and other holidays. 

The proprietor of this great establishment is Mr. 
J. F. Balmer, a prominent citizen of the Borough of 

93 



SNAP SHOT OF CAPTAIN RILEY AFTER A RESCUE. 
































































































































































* 























































































Brooklyn, Greater New York. He gives his personal 
attention to the management of the pavilion and beach, 
and maintains a corps of superintendents of the vari¬ 
ous departments, who are experts in their different 
lines. 

The only bathing beach in the United States that 
can be compared with Balmer’s is the beach at New- 


LIFE GUARD ON LOOKOUT. 


port, R. I. There is a beautiful stretch of beach in the 
shape of a horseshoe, and the thousands of pleasure- 
seekers who visit Newport can testify to its white sand 
and exhilarating surf. 

New York City is well supplied with bathing resorts 
along the Long Island coast, but the interest in swim¬ 
ming and bathing, the promoters of health hope, will 
increase tenfold within a few years. There is no form 
IOI 





of recreation that is more beneficial to health than a 
sea bath and the sun bath that goes with it, and it is 
to be hoped that within a few years the American peo¬ 
ple will take more interest in bathing and know how to 
appreciate the benefits of a plunge in the ocean. Doc¬ 
tors would have very little occasion to prescribe for the 
sick if the American people would devote a proper, 
amount of time to surf bathing, as the physical results 



TAKING A SUN BATH. 

are more manifold than those who have not considered 
its benefits can realize. But the American people are 
just beginning to appreciate the advantages of sea 
bathing, and the indications point, to a succession of 
bathing establishments in the near future from one end 
of Long Island to the other. 

Among the other popular bathing establishments on 
Coney Island are those at Manhattan Beach and 
Brighton Beach. Staten Island possesses two splendid 
102 





beaches—Midland and South—but the refuse brought 
by the tide from Newark and Bergen Point, by way of 
the Kill von Kull, spoils the advantages bathers should 
enjoy there. It is to be hoped the citizens and city 
authorities will take interest enough in the situation to 
take measures to abate the nuisance before many more 
seasons have gone by. The bathing spots should be 
protected as well as our drinking water supply. 

Atlantic City, N. J., can boast of a magnificent 
water front, and surf bathing there is the most popular 
recreation of the summer months. Other beaches of 
which Americans may well be proud are those at Nan- 
tasket, just outside Boston harbor; Revere Beach, Old 
Orchard, Me.; Savin Rock, near New Haven, Conn.; 
Black Rock, near Bridgeport; Rockaway and Far 
Rockaway, L. I. 

Europe has some famous bathing beaches, one of the 
most celebrated places being at Ostend, Belgium. On 
this magnificent stretch in front of the sea, however, 
thy people in general of the nation are not permitted 
to bathe. It is reserved for the royalty of the king¬ 
dom, and for exclusive members of the aristocracy. 
But when monarchy is wiped from the face of Europe 
all the people of Belgium will know how to appreciate 
the delights Ostend Beach affords; and from all ac¬ 
counts of the intelligence we hear regarding the ma¬ 
jority of the Belgians the people will not have long to 
wait before they will be taking advantage of the priv¬ 
ileges they are entitled to but are now denied. 

Other famous European bathing resorts are at 
Brighton, a short trip from London, England; Black- 
103 


pool and Margate, also not far from London. In 
France bathing beaches are located in the vicinity of 
Calais, and the French also enjoy bathing in the Med¬ 
iterranean Sea. 

In France and in England the sexes do not bathe 
together like they do in America, separate beaches being 
provided. The subject of mingling the sexes at bath-- 
ing resorts, however, is being discussed, and within a 
short time the bathing places of Europe will undoubt¬ 
edly be conducted as they are in America. 

Fun at Balmer’s on a Carley Float. 

One of the new additional features at Balmer’s Beach 
is a big Carley life float—-the best device of its kind 
that has ever been put in use. The Carley float fills a 
long felt want, and the author of this book cheer¬ 
fully endorses this device as far superior to all other- 
floats. No steam yacht, pleasure craft, ocean liner, 
ferryboat, or other craft for that matter, should now 
consider itself properly equipped when without a set 
of the Carley floats. 

The new float at Balmer’s is used by the bathers 
for pleasure, and the fun the swimmers have on it 
can only be appreciated when seen. 

It was no wonder that the Board of Construction of 
the United States Navy endorsed the Carley float 
after a careful examination. This committee of naval 
experts in reporting on the superior advantages of the 
Carley float over all others said: 

“That without doubt it would prove a valuable ad¬ 
junct to the ordinary life saving appliances usually 
I0 4 


carried by vessels. There are often occasions when 
boats can neither be lowered with safety nor, if low¬ 
ered, can lay alongside of vessels in distress. The 
Carley life float might be used to transfer persons to 
boats nearby, or to support them until rescued; or it 
might be hauled through broken water to the shore. 
The delay and difficulty in swinging out and lowering 
heavy boats that are secured inboard on skids or beds 
are well known to seafaring people, and such delay and 
difficulty often result in loss of life, which might be 
saved were some such appliance at hand as the Carley 
life float.” 

From the time of the first shipwreck the necessity 
for a life saving device that is at once non-sinkable, 
non-capsizable, non-collapsible and having the capac¬ 
ity for providing safety for a large number of persons 
has been ardently sought by inventors and seafaring 
people. The Carley life float, I am convinced, fills a 
space that was heretofore blank. Of all the so-called 
life raft's heretofore in use none have fulfilled in reality 
any of the needed requirements. 

The Carley life float, by the simple construction of 
the flotation cylinder, is non-sinkable, non-collaps¬ 
ible and non-capsizable, and by its construction is al¬ 
ways right side up in whatever manner it is put over¬ 
board. A float capable of sustaining forty-five persons 
can readily be handled by two men. The ship¬ 
wrecked persons stow themselves inside the Carley 
float and are not atop of a wave swept surface, where 
every energy must be employed to retain a hold on 
the raft. Oars and signal flags are lashed to the sides, 
107 


while a breaker of water and boxes of food can be 
attached to the tube. 

Extreme lightness is a feature of the Carley float, 
and one weighing but 225 pounds can safely carry 
eighteen persons, whereas the ordinary rafts, rated to 
support twelve persons, will weigh at least 900 
pounds. No tackle, davits or machinery of any kind 
are required to launch the Carley float. It can easily 
be handled by men or women and is in no danger of 
injury by coming in contact with the ship’s sides. 
The Carley life float is practically indestructible. 

Actual tests have shown conclusively that the 
Carley life float merits the highest praise awarded it 
by experts and experienced sailormen. 

The Carley life float consists of a continuous copper 
tube, strengthened by outer fins or flanges, and is 
divided into water and air tight compartments by discs 
placed at intervals from 12 to 14 inches. This tube is 
then covered by a waterproof enamel and 2 inches of 
compressed cork, which is securely wound with two 
layers of heavy canvas. The whole is then treated 
to a coat of non-corrosive paint, making the entire 
cylinder absolutely waterproof. Attached to the cyl¬ 
inder is a rope netting 3 feet deep, from which is 
suspended, from rings that travel on lashings, a 
slatted wooden bottom. When the float strikes the 
water the bottom falls through the buoyant cylinder, 
which makes it right side up and ready for occu¬ 
pancy at all times. Life lines floating in all directions 
afford means for persons in the water to draw them¬ 
selves to safety. 


CHAPTER XII. 


CAPT. TOM RILEY, VETERAN SWIMMER. 


By Henry T. Jones. 



APT. TOM RILEY, the author of “Swimming,” 


is the best known professional swimmer in the 
United States, and he is a recognized authority on any¬ 
thing pertaining to swimming. He was born in New¬ 
port, R. I., and he could swim before he was seven 
years old. To swim was as natural to him as it is to 
an animal, as he struck out like an expert the first time 
he got into deep water. When he was eleven years old 
he was recognized as an accomplished swimmer and 
diver. Before leaving school he took part in many 
swimmipg races in which his competitors were men, 
and usually he was a winner in these contests. In his 
youth he was the most daring and expert diver along 
the Rhode Island coast, he being unable to find points 
high enough to leap from to demonstrate his diving 
ability. Among the favorite places he sought to leap 
from were positions as near to the tops of the masts of 
the big sailing vessels as he could find. 

Captain Riley has spent the best years of his life as 
a professional swimmer, swimming instructor and life- 
saver, and he devoted several years to giving exhibi¬ 
tions in trick swimming and diving, which he so ad¬ 
mirably describes in the chapters of this book. 


109 


His swimming record is an interesting one. He is 
one of the only two swimmers who ever defeated 
Captain Webb in a race. The other was William 
Beckwith, who defeated the veteran champion in Lon¬ 
don in a six days’ race, Webb losing then only be¬ 
cause he was attacked with congestion of the lungs 
when near the close of the contest. 

In the match with Riley, however, Webb was fairly 
beaten. Riley took part in two races with the veteran 
swimmer and was matched for a third contest when 
the daring swimmer lost his life. The first race was 
in August, 1881, when Riley was not old enough to 
vote. It was a five mile open race off Strawberry Hill, 
Montasta Beach, just outside of Boston. There were 
twelve starters, but Webb and Riley were the only 
ones to finish. The sea was rough that day, *the wind 
blowing a forty-mile gale off the sea. The other ten 
starters had half mile and mile handicaps, but they 
quit early in the race and Webb finished ninety yards 
in front of his young but ambitious antagonist. 

Riley’s friends in the following year were convinced 
that the youthful swimmer had improved so much 
over his showing of the previous year that he could 
defeat Webb, the champion, and a two-mile contest 
between the two was arranged. The race took place 
on August 24, 1882, in front of the Hotel Pemberton, 
at Point Allerton, just outside Boston harbor. The 
conditions were perfect for a swimming contest and 
Riley won by ten feet, which was bitterly disputed by 
Fred Kyle, Webb’s manager, the time being 1 hour 4 
minutes and 10 seconds. 


110 




The first important race in which Riley was a con¬ 
testant was off Savin Rock, New Haven. Among the 
entries were George Wade, the long distance champion 
of America; Prince, the short distance champion of 
the world; Daly, the all-round champion of the Pacific 
Coast, and Wareham, a winner of several hard fought 
contests. Riley’s acquaintances laughed at him for 
presuming to enter in a race against such formidable 
antagonists. They said he was only a-kid and had no 
business to try to beat out men who had such records 
to demonstrate their ability. But Riley was not to be 
laughed out of his determination. He entered the con¬ 
test and finished far in the lead. 

The only admirer he had the day before the race, 
Riley says, was the late Pierre Lorillard. On the 
night before auction pools were made up at one of the 
leading hotels. The veterans each had his admirers 
and in the pools they sold for $100, $75 and $50 each, 
while Riley, who was without a record, didn’t see any¬ 
body scrambling to place their money on his chances. 
But there was one man in the crowd who had confi¬ 
dence enough in the young swimmer to bid on his 
chance. Riley learned afterward that the man who 
always bought the “rank outsider” end of the pools 
was a representative of Pierre Lorillard. The million¬ 
aire sent the youthful swimmer a $500 present after the 
victory. Mr. Lorillard had seen Riley swim at New¬ 
port, R. I., a month before the New Haven race, and 
he knew what Riley could do. 

A year after Captain Webb’s tragic death Captain 
Simpson, at that time the champion swimmer of Eng- 
111 


land, came to this country soon after he had won the 
Lords and Commons medal, the honor most sought 
by swimmers in England. He defeated all contestants 



JAMES McCUSKER. 

American Champion Swimmer Up to Five Miles. 


in Canada and many in the United States. Riley had 
witnessed some of Simpson’s performances and was 
convinced that he could defeat him. A match was 


112 


proposed for $1,000 a side, the Englishman having the 
privilege of choosing the distance. Simpson consid¬ 
ered himself the best mile swimmer in the world, and 
that distance was his choice. The race took place in 
August, 1885, at Old Orchard Beach, Me. 

For two weeks Simpson had been telling his British 
friends what a cinch he would have in capturing the 
thousand dollars, and his friends on his advice had 
backed him at any odds. 

Several thousand spectators lined the beach when 
the contestants received the signal to start. Riley took 
the lead at once and gained rapidly before the half- 
mile post was reached. At the half mile he had the 
veteran beaten, and he finished almost a quarter of a 
mile ahead. 

Fred Kyle, at one time manager of the Boston- 
Hingham Steamship Company, has made several un¬ 
successful attempts to induce Riley to try to swim the 
whirlpool rapids at Niagara. Kyle is the man who 
persuaded Captain Webb to swim the whirlpool. Riley 
says he doesn’t believe in such contests, because they 
don’t demonstrate anything except to show man’s fool¬ 
hardiness. 

Captain Riley is an ardent believer in the virtue of 
salt water for internal as well as external use. He 
says he knows of sufferers from rheumatism who drink 
sea water regularly—a small quantity each day—and 
who rub the affected parts with the water and obtain 
relief. 

Captain Riley’s long distance swimming record is an 
enviable one. He has never met defeat in a long dis- 

11 3 


lance contest. Some of his notable achievements were 
the following: 

From Providence to Newport, in the Providence 
River, a distance of 31 miles. 

From Far Rockaway to Bath Beach, 22 miles. 

From the Battery, New York, to Coney Island, 14 
miles. This trip the captain accomplished six times. 

From Chelsea to South Boston, 10 miles. 

From Block House, on the Delaware River, to 
Gloucester, N. J. 

From Newport to Narragansett Pier. 


311 - 77-2 


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